Tempting Fate
by Nukumi
Summary: He barely knew her.Before all this,it had been years since he had even spoken to her. This other man knew more about Ino than she'd ever know about herself. And they were a good match. So why, in the name of sanity, was he jealous?
1. Homecoming

**Tempting Fate, Chapter one : Homecoming**

It was a rainy day when he first took notice. A warm, quiet day when the scent of the rain and its subsequent falling did more to calm than to inconvenience. He remembered; the birds were quiet and still as he bounced from tree to tree, returning home to Konoha from a mission.

A particularly exhausting mission.

He and Lee had completed it with minimal injuries, but Tenten managed to get her ankle shattered and a wrist broken. Lee had generously carried her when it was all over, and so it was as the three of them drew closer to the village. Straight-faced as ever, Neji inwardly sighed. Gai would not be impressed. Yes, they had completed the mission in record time, but a teammate was incapacitated. As a jounin and team leader, Neji was supposed to pay more attention to his comrades. He would be getting the 'Youth is power, not invincibility' lecture again.

His lips tightened at the thought as his feet touched down on the village soil. Home sweet hell. It wasn't the best place in all the world, and yet there was nowhere else he'd rather be. A triumphant "Hmph!" from Lee told Neji that he, too, had reached the ground; Tenten passed out in his arms. Without turning around, Neji could already sense the sparkles lighting in Rock Lee's eyes. Three years, and Konoha still meant only one thing to Lee: Sakura. Whether Lee had finally managed to secure a relationship or not with the medic, Neji neither knew nor cared. He made a motion with his hand, back still facing Lee, and spoke.

"Go ahead, get Tenten taken care of. I'll report in to the Hokage."

Lee cheered and sped away at top speed to the hospital. Once there, no doubt, he would make a beeline for Sakura. That guy seized every opprotunity. Neji closed his eyes momentarily, inhaled the sweet fragrance of spring rain and the tender touch of morning mist, and opened them again. He began walking leisurely through the village and saw mostly closed doors and dark windows. It was fairly early in the morning. Most of the town was surely sleeping; only shinobi would be awake at this hour.

As if to confirm this, Neji spotted two figures ahead of him, seemingly also heading towards the Hokage's office. One figure, shorter and distinctly more curvaceous than the other, was obviously female. A long, blonde ponytail swayed in comparision to the short black one beside it. Sensing Neji's chakra, the black ponytail turned to reveal a familiar face.

"Oi, Neji. Long time no see."

"Mmm."

Neji replied, being talkative was not one of his characteristics. At least, not outwardly so. His mind wasn't as sparse on words.

_That's because you're still a chuunin, teaching at the academy while people like me are out there on missions, supporting the village._

It was true, this lazy ninja had made chuunin -- before anyone else in the rookie nine -- and hadn't done much of anything since. True, Lee and Tenten were still chuunins also, but this guy had been one longer, and at least they still carried out missions.

The long blonde ponytail shifted to give way to brilliant blue eyes as the kunouichi peeked over her shoulder.

"Neji."

She said simply; her own way of saying hello. A woman's voice always does sound sexiest in the morning, and Neji found himself enjoying this short greeting, which the girl soon accompanied with a smile.

"On your way back from a mission?"

The male prompted. It was more of a statement than a question, as being quite possibly the smartest person in Konoha, he could probably pick out a hundred different details in one moment to confirm the answer. Neji nodded and the chuunin continued.

"Ino and I are on our way to see Tsunade-sama too. It's Ino's mission, but I'm being partnered with her for backup."

He paused for a minute, to look up at the hazy, cloudless sky before adding his signature statement.

"What a drag."

Neji's eyes trailed lightly over to Ino, who gave Shikamaru a quick jab.

"What do you mean 'what a drag' ? Who would you rather go with?!"

She asked in a playful tone. His answer was quick.

"Chouji."

"Dammit Shikamaru!"

She proceeded to beat on him, only half angry, probably just for ego's sake. Neji watched sliently with distant interest.

_If I was going on a mission and I had to take one partner, who would it be?_

The three of them continued on to their destination, Neji pondering and eliminating people in his mind all the while. It wasn't until they were at Tsunade's door that he had an answer. Kind of.

_If...if I could take just one person..._

He studied Ino's back as he and Shikamaru allowed her to pass through the door first.

_...I wouldn't mind if it was her._


	2. Confessions

**Tempting Fate Chapter 2: Confessions**

The second encounter was every bit as random as the previous one. Once again, Neji found himself completely active and roaming about early in the morning. Only this time he wasn't strolling through the village: he'd been assigned nightwatch and, at four 'clock in the morning, his was making the last round of his shift. Although indifferent on the outside, Neji vehemently detested nightwatch. No food, no sleep, no resting, no talking. It wasn't even like there was anyone to talk to; only one nightwatchman was assigned per night -- one shinobi could keep surveillance just fine. At least on missions he got to nap every once in a while and catch meals. Physically, Neji was in exquisite shape and his endurance was phenomenal. His patience? Not so much. Inwardly, Neji both yearned for a distraction and desperately hoped that nothing eventful would happen so that he could end his round an go home already. It wasn't long before Neji got his wish, one of them anyway. He sensed the presence of another shinobi in the distance to his left and his face immediately jerked in that direction.

_Who in their right mind would be in the woods at this time of day?_

He gave a frustrated sigh that sounded more like a growl and mentally willed whoever it was to leave; of course he was already headed in their direction. No use using the Byakugan to identify who could only be another Konoha ninja. Neji hoped with all his might that it wasn't one of the academy students just playing around. He didn't have the restraint to deal with kids at the moment.

As he drew closer, Neji leapt off of a tree branch and onto the ground noiselessly. He was about fifteen feet away and could see the person very clearly.

It was her again.

His mind briefly retrieved the memory of his last time seeing her, but he brushed it away. They were in the floral section of the woods and the blonde was crouched over something. Digging? Burying? He casually approached her from behind and made his prescence known with simple statement.

"You know, when a person slinks off into the woods before day and starts messing with the ground, it can look quite suspicious."

He eyed her with a bored look and a hand on hips hip, despite his actual gratefulness for the diversion. Ino turned her head back to look at Neji, her face showing first mild surprise, then uncharacteristic shyness. She laughed nervously.

"So you caught me. I guess the jig is up. Oh well. Better you than Sakura."

Ino smiled lightly and stood up, brushing off her hands as she rose. Neji used the opprotunity to tilt his head so that he could see around her. Grass. Just grass and flowers. And they didn't even look disturbed, if she had done something, it had been done with meticulous care. Neji angled his face towards Ino once more.

"And what exactly have I caught you doing?"

He might as well be nice about it, after all, he couldn't tell and it couldn't hurt to ask. Ino's smile spread.

"Practicing my jutsu. There aren't many volunteers this time of day, you know, and it's less embarassing this way if I screw up."

He stared at her eyes. She really was a beautiful girl, but he was looking for signs of lying. He saw none, although one of his eyebrows areched in confusion. Her statements didn't make sense.

"Practicing your jutsu?"

he repeated,

"Doesn't your clan's jutsu involve...leaving the body?

Ino laughed again.

"Those aren't all I'm good for. I do have other techniques."

Neji's body went rigid. Of course she had more jutsu. It was dumb of him to make the assumption that she would only practice her kekkai genkai. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he mentally banged his head repeatedly on an imaginary brick wall.

"So then. What exactly were you doing?"

More fatigue rung in his tone than he was actually feeling.

"My medical jutsu. I started learning it a little while ago and there are still some techniques I can't get right. I don't have the precise chakra control Sakura has."

Regret. That was what he detected in her voice. Could it be that the vain, overconfident blonde was actually feeling inferior to her rival? Neji glanced around briefly. He noted that there were no hurt animals lingering by and no marks on Ino herself. What was she practicing on?

"The flowers. I use my jutsu to revive the dying flowers."

She looked away from Neji, choosing to stare at the flowers instead.

"This way no one is disappointed if it doesn't work or goes wrong."

_That's a sensible idea. But still, at four in the morning? Why the shame?_

Ino's eyes flicked back up at Neji.

"I'm not ashamed. I just...I just want to make sure it's perfect before I do it in front of people. That's all."

Neji's eyebrows furrowed suddenly.

"Did you just-"

"I wasn't trying to!"

She interrupted him. She sensed shock laced with a bit of anger rising in her peer, and she did not want to risk pissing him off. She'd seen what happened when he got pissed off before.

"I-It's not on purpose. That ability is still new to me and I can't completely control it yet."

She looked away from him again. Ino had just confessed to yet another thing she could not do. She was a shinobi, trained by the son of the Third Hokage. Why did she find herself so horribly limited in skills? Neji's face softened as he processed the new information.

_Ah. So that's it. A medic, florist, spy, and chuunin exam practitioner. This girl has a lot on her shoulders. And I thought I was overworked..._

He sighed, closing his eyes as he did so. As he opened them, he looked up and noted the colors in the sky. It was dawn. His shift was now over. His eyes trailed over to Ino.

"Are you done practicing?"

She returned his attention with an unsure expression.

"Yeah."

"Fine. Then you can walk with me back to the village. That way anyone who sees us will just think you were training with me and not daffodils."

He then turned to leave; there stood the offer and she could take it or leave it. Ino's eyes stared at Neji's back and, as he started to walk off, she found his cadence and fell in step beside him.

* * *

Author's note: Review if you like, and even if you don't like it. I take criticism! So please don't be shy :) 


	3. Captivity

**Tempting Fate, Chapter three: Captivity**

_Ugh, my back hurts..._

Soft facial features twisted in disgust with the sudden taste of something metallic in her mouth. With notable effort, Ino raised an arm off the ground to wipe the blood from her mouth. Her eyes opened as she did so, realizing that her fingers felt rather cold and were pulsating with pain. She brought her hand to her face quietly and studied it with a serious eye.

_Hmph. Three fingers are broken. My thumb is dislocated and...hell, they did a good job of slashing this arm. They barely missed the main vein._

Ino struggled to sit up and instantly grimaced, slighlty regretting the action.

_It seems by the siffness of my shirt that I have a few gashes crusting on my back. I must have fell pretty hard; the bones and muscles hurt more than the wounds. _

Her good hand tenderly traced over her torso as Ino continued her damage report.

_Left side good. Right side: one rib broken, another fractured. Hips and tailbone: check. Right knee fine. Left knee...oh shit._

Her hand moved swiftly to pound on her left leg several times. She hit the knee. Nothing. She hit the thigh. Nothing. She painfully stretched out to smack her foot. Still nothing. No feeling at all in the entire leg.

_Shit! I really pushed my luck this time. I don't even have enough chakra to try and heal myself, I'll have to use what little I have left wisely. Why didn't I withdraw when I got the necessary information? I had everything I needed but NO, I had to go and be Super Blonde and try for the Waterfall Village's top secret stuff. Messed around and got spotted. And for what? To get on Tsunade-sama's good side so that I just __**might**__ have a chance for promotion to jounin this year. Like that'll ever happen._

Ino closed her eyes to wallow in self-pity before re-opening them to take note of her surroundings. It was a small room; dimly lit and eerilly quiet. Old and bare. No windows. The closest thing to an escape route other than the door, which was surely gaurded, was a crack the size of a human hand in the corner of the room that only made it drafty. It was probably a makeshift holding cell sans bars, but it wasn't like bars would be necessary to contain her with her body in it's present condition.

An hour passed.

_I've got to think of a way out of here; the longer I stay, the smaller my chances of survival. Sooner or later someone will come in, either to kill me or to demand information and then kill me. Or to...I'd kill myself before I let that happen. I have to get out..._

A cool draft washed over Ino and she felt goosebumps rise.

_It's getting colder. And darker, it must be close to nightfall. This was only supposed to be a five day mission. It's been nine. What if Tsunade-sama thinks I'm already--_

A scratching noise abruptly jerked Ino from her thoughts and she glanced in the direction of its origins. More scratching and frantic movement, and just then, a mouse scurried into the room. Her tired eyes widened.

_Salvation! _

Just as Ino readied her hands to perform the Shitensen no Jutsu, she heard a hiss. A thin tabby cat shot through the hole and pounced on the mouse in seconds. It wasted no time feasting on its catch. Ino watched, horrified.

_If I had started my movements just a second earlier, that would've been me! _

Her heart pounded and another thought hit her.

_Duh! The cat! Being a cat beats being a mouse anyway. Please let me have enough chakra..._

She performed her hand signs and her body went limp. The cat stopped eating. With a shake, Ino moved awkwardly in her temporary body.

_Ugh. Fleas! Oh, it itches, it itches!_

She couldn't resist scratching for a few moments before turning around and facing the hole.

_All right. Time to make a run for it!_

The tabby cat dashed out of the room and disappeared into the forthcoming darkness of night.

* * *

Tsunade looked up from her books at her desk to address her apprentice, who had rather sullenly just walked through the door. 

"Sakura. You look like hell. Have I been that hard on you?"

She asked honestly, her amber eyes searching Sakura's face. Sakura attempted to mask her fatigue.

"No! Not at all Tsunade-shishou. There was just this stupid cat in my room that kept me up all night."

* * *

Ino the Cat wandered the Konoha village restlessly and with growing despair. Her Shitensen no Jutsu wouldn't last that much longer. Two, three hours at best. She was going to die. Someone would kill her body and she would die stuck in a cat's body. Bitter, Ino found herself sprawled out beside the entrance to Ichiraku.

_Stupid Forehead girl. All that book smarts and years of friendship and in my one time of need, she couldn't "See underneath the underneath" to help me. And she didn't have to invite Kiba and Akamaru over to get rid of me; she almost got me killed!...quicker._

If it was possible for a cat to look depressed, that was how Ino looked at the moment. She laid there half-wishing for help and half-wishing and a swift and painless end. What a demeaning way to go, but as a shinobi, their kind were rarely allowed such a luxury.

Her ears perked up involuntarily. What the hell was the heinously loud crunching sound? And in a ramen shop at that. Ramen shops don't serve chips...

_CHOUJI!!!_

All at once, Ino could hear and smell her teammate nearby. Now all she had to do was find him, because certainly where one finds Chouji, they find

_SHIKAMARU!!!!_

She was nearly dying with happiness. Or was it lack of food, water, and rest? She preferred to believe the former. The tabby cat ran as fast as it's paws would take it and attacked Shikamaru's pants.

"What the hell?!"

Shikamaru, thoroughly shocked, shook his leg in an attempt to free himself of the cat. Of all the things he figured would happen today, being attacked by some rabid cat certainly hadn't made the list. He shook harder and the cat held fast, desperately trying to claw its was up his leg. Chouji laughed at his best friend.

"Looks like you've got a new friend there. Introduce yourself, won't you? Kitty-from-Hell, this is Shikamaru. Shikamaru, this is Kitty-from-Hell."

He laughed at his own joke and both Shikamaru and the cat stopped to glare evilly at him. The cat retracted it's claws from Shikamaru's leg and punced on the table, landing beside Chouji's plate and glaring at his face.

"Mrrrrreeooooooooooooow"

_I am NOT the Kitty from Hell! You are SO going to pay for that later! ...If there will be a later..._

Depressed again, Ino turned away from Chouji, whom she knew it would be a wasted to time to continue and try to communicate with. She instead stared up at Shikamaru from the table top.

"Mrrrreeeoooooooooooooow."

She her sadest face and he stared back quizically.

"If it's food you want, you wont get any at this table!"

Chouji cooly announced; Ino ignored him and continued to stare at Shikamaru. Chouji, too, looked at this companion.

"Hey, why aren't you sending the mangy cat away? It's probably got rabies or something."

Shikamaru stared at the cat while answering, his mind working.

"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something odd about this cat."

"Mrrreeoooooow!"

Ino's eyes pleaded with Shikamaru.

_Come on! I'm running out of time here. If anyone can figure it out, it's you! You're my only hope._

Overcome with the thought that after finally having a chance at being rescued, it may be too late before Shikamaru figured it out, Ino resorted to using what she had: her claws. Ino the Cat savagely clawed at the table, truely looking like a mad cat, and Shikamaru quickly picked her up -- moreso to save the table and not draw attention than out of want. Chouji, who had successfully saved the food from Ino Kitty's wrath, looked at the scratch marks.

"Uh, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru followed his gaze to the spot on the table. Roughly written were the three letters of Ino's name. Shikamaru brought his eyes to the cat in his hands, who sadly returned his gaze.

* * *

Neji wiped the small gathering of sweat off his brow and pulled loosely at his shirts clinging to his back. The afternoon sun was harsh and unforgiving. He was about to leave the training grounds when he sensed someone a distance behind him. Wait. Two someones. Apparently, one of them sensed him as well and called out.

"Hyuuga! Request backup for "The Mission in Waterfall Country" , tell Tsunade-sama Chouji needs help, now!"

Shikamaru was about to pass Neji and he ran beside him to keep up. On Shikamaru's back was an unconscious Ino, who reeked of blood and whose clothes were saturated in it.

_Ino!_

"Nara, what happened?"

For what was a rare occasion indeed, Neji showed interest in someone ther than himself. Shikamaru gritted his teeth.

"We're running low on funds again. Tsunade-sama tried to conserve the number of shinobi on missions so that more of us would be available to take other missions. But that makes it harder on those who are on missions."

He shook his head as he ran. Shikamaru was clearly enfuriated and disagreed with the decision.

"It was an A-rank Mission, borderlining S-rank! She shouldn't have sent her alone!"

He was almost yelling now. Neji looked at him darkly.

"Then why didn't you go with her? And don't tell me 'because Tsunade-sama didn't tell you to' because if you cared, you would have went anyway."

That earned Neji a death glare from Shikamaru. Neji had never seen so much emotion in his face. Or maybe he just never noticed before. Shikamaru answered him.

"Because I was away on a mission when she left. I had no idea where she had been sent and our **Hokage** wouldn't tell me."

Shikamaru made a mental note to himself that Ino's body was getting colder. He already knew a few of her wounds were infected, she was barely hanging on.

Shikamaru said something under his breath as the he and Neji split in two different directions: Shikamaru to the hospital and Neji directly to ANBU headquarters. He had said it very softly, but Neji had heard him.

"If she dies..."

Neji himself was also quickly becoming infuriated with this sudden situation. As he sprinted at full power towards his destination, he could only agree with Shikamaru. Tsunade had better pull out all the stops to save this girl, because in the event of her death, there would be two more names to add to the list of Konoha missing-nins.

* * *

Author's Note: You guys didn't expect it to be that long, did ya:) I tried to create a good balance in this story by mixing in some comic relief with the the serious tone. Hopefully I didn't go too far with the comedy or anything. I was actually listening to a very upbeat song while I wrote this Houkiboshi by Younha if anyone cares Anyway, let me know what you guys think! 


	4. Resolution

**Tempting Fate, Chapter four: Resolution**

The lazy kid was already there when Neji arrived. From the look of things, Shikamaru had been at Ino's bedside all night; possibly all three nights since he brought her back to Konoha. Ino was breathing and the medics were sure that her condition was becoming less critical, but she still had not woken up. That was normal, the medics said. It didn't sit well with Neji. For three nights he had managed to check in from time to time at a distance, but as the time passed and Ino continued sleeping, Neji found he could no longer stay away. As he entered the room, Shikamaru's eyes flicked up at him. There were dark circles under those eyes, and Neji didn't doubt for a minute that Shikamaru hadn't slept a wink. Neji surveyed the room to see if anyone else had come by. He found a candybar -- probably from Chouji -- a bottle of salve from Hinata, a bouquet of cosmos flowers, likely from that ex-best friend of hers, and a hole in the wall. Neji looked at the hole questioningly and Shikamaru caught his gaze.

"Inoichi-san, her father. Drove him crazy to see her like this. Chouji's dad and mine had to drag him out of here before he tore the place down."

Curiousity satisfied, Neji walked further into the room, closer to the bed. He crossed his arms and looked at Shikamaru, he didn't dare look at Ino just yet.

"You should go home; what's done is done and she's here now, sitting there and wasting away is not going to heal her faster."

Shikamaru shot him a look that said 'I know' and stayed seated.

"She'll be upset if she wakes up and no one is here. She had to go through all that alone; I couldn't be there for her then, so I'm here now."

Point.

"She'll be more upset if she wakes up and sees you looking like that, knowing it's because of her."

Counterpoint.

Shikamaru's face showed that he was not in the mood to argue. Even if he was the number one coward who quit everything because it was 'too troublesome', he would not leave her alone.

"I'll stay with her. Go home."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. Was he serious? He stared at Neji for minute, then sighed. The Hyuuga was right. What use was he to Ino like this? Shikamaru warily scratched his head and stood up. He gave Neji a look that he couldn't quite read and made his way out the door. Neji looked after him for a few seconds, then wandered over to the window. He still couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Why?

He reflected on just last month, when it had been Tenten in the hospital. He hadn't bothered to go see her, she would be fine and he knew it, but how must it have felt to her when he -- the one she praised and believed in more than anyone else -- had not visited? Would Ino feel the same way when she awoke to the cold truth that Sasuke didn't take the time to stop by? He wasn't sure how he would feel when he was ready to look at her, but he knew with certainty that he couldn't bear it if she cried.

Lost in his thoughts, Neji noticed with a tinge of pain as light hit his eyes that the sun was setting. Day four of Ino's coma was coming to an end. His forehead wrinkled.

_I can't avoid looking at her all night_

Neji turned around and forced himself to look at Ino. It was bad. In addition to all the bandages, Ino was looking positively ghastly. A paleness only magnified by the black and blue bruises peeking from under the ends of the bandages, and a very visible one on her right cheek. She looked every bit like a broken doll. And he never wanted to see her looking like that again.

* * *

"Go home" were the words that persuaded Shikamaru out of Ino's hospital room, but home was not where he went. Not yet. He had someone to see first. Stares were given as Shikamaru walked and it was likely that some of the chattering had something to do with him. He was far from stupid. He knew the rumors:

"Did you hear? That Yamanaka girl failed her mission. She's a disgrace!"

"They say her old genin team had to go save her."

"I heard the Nara genius was so pissed off that he resigned as a shinobi."

Shikamaru had to silently remind himself not to hurt the civillians. They knew nothing about their topic of gossip and making a few of them 'disappear' would only add fuel to the fire. He continued on his way, starting up a long, twisting flight of stairs. As he neared the end of his journey, the faces became other shinobi and the expressions changed from excitement to that of unease. They walked slowly past him, lingering in the general proximity. Shikamaru reached the top of the stairs at last and exchanged glances with a silver haired jounin, who made no attempt to even pretend to be leaving. Shikamaru passed him and reached the door a few feet beyond. The sound of heels clicking caught his attention immediately and he turned partially to see who was approaching.

"Please, please do not interrupt Tsunade-sama! She's got piles and piles of work to do and-"

"It's important."

That was all he said to Shizune before flinging open the doors and waltzing into Tsunade's office. The latter greeted him with a careful eye. Shikamaru didn't give her a chance to speak first. He didn't greet her back either.

"I want to be made the head of Intelligence."

He said it so casually, as if he were ordering ramen instead of requesting to be captain of an ANBU division. All the outrage and distress were clearly tucked away from his voice and body language. He knew, of course, that there was no way Tsunade would say 'no' ; she had been on his case since he first became a chuunin to move up in ranks. They sorely needed men like him. Tsunade stared at Shikamaru with interest. She had been wondering the passed few days just when he would storm into her office, albeit she had imagined that she would have to restrain him and remind him why she was the Hokage. Tsunade took a swig of the sake bottle nestled among the mountains of paperwork before she answered him.

"It's about time, Nara. You'll still have to undergo the training and tests for it though."

"I don't care."

"Then we'll start tomorrow."

Shikamaru wanted to press her further, to start tonight, but both he and the female of the sannin knew that he was in no condition to do any of that kind of stuff tonight. Satisfied with the answer for the time being, Shikamaru turned on his heels and left as boldly as he had come.

* * *

The cruel morning sun earned a stern frown as long blonde eyelashes scarmbled to shut it out. As if the sun weren't enough, the birds outside her window started to sing their daily greeting to welcome daybreak. Annoyed at her thwarted attempt to return to peaceful snoozing, Ino let her eyes drift open. She saw there had been visitors while she was out as there were some items on her nightstand. She carefully turned her body in the opposite direction-- and found herself nearly face to face with a raven haired ninja. She had indeed expected to find a dark haired man sitting near her, but this wasn't exactly the person she had in mind. Although bewildered, Ino was not dismayed at her company. It seemed Neji had stayed beside her all night and had fallen asleep resting his arms and face on the bedrails. Ino reached up with her good hand to smooth a portion of that long black hair out of his face. She had to admit, Neji was rather easy to look at. And the peaceful expression on his face somehow tempted her to play in his hair. In a different lifetime, she could have seen being very close to him...but that was only imagination at work. She was fairly sure that Neji was probably here via some kind of order, not really to see her, just to keep watch until someone who actually cared came along. He was, after all, Sasuke's predecessor and the two did share some similarities. No genius would come to see her out of want -- no, wanting probably had little to nothing to do with it. Three geniuses in the town, two cold hearted and one lazy, and not a single one wanted her. Ino's eyes lowered in sadness...just as Neji's fluttered open. The room remained silent and the two stared at each other for a moment. Neji wasn't sure if he was happy she woke up or embarassed that she caught him visiting, but his brain didn't have a chance to process what he was feeling, because his first coherent thought was:

_Oh no. She's going to cry

* * *

_

**Author's note:** I just want to say "Thank you" to everyone who's been reading along; woot for 236 page views! In only five days! And a special thank you to those who reviewed -- I'll try to make sure this keeps getting updated as often as possible! I might revise this chapter a little later, it's 1 am right now and I'm not sure this is my best work. If needed be, I'll revise and reupload later today. Ja ne!


	5. Heartbreak

**Tempting Fate, Chapter five: **

Shikamaru stared listlessly at the item being offered to him. No sooner had he entered Tsunade's office and dropped on her desk a rock village headband with a scratch through it did she open one of her desk drawers, grab a scroll, and hand it to him. What more could she put him through? At Tsunade's command, Shikamaru had already passed a detailed test on the human body's complete layout, learned two types of elemental jutsus, learned to use a wakizashi, and just now he had returned from defeating an S-class criminal completely solo. All within four days' time! Two for the former, defeating the Rock nin had taken fourty one hours and he had to use practically every skill he had. And now here Tsunade was, nonchalantly handing him a scroll that would probably send Shikamaru off to his death. He couldn't help but sigh as he accepted the scroll presented to him and opened it. His eyes ran over the information and his brain quickly processed it.

_"You are hereby immediately summoned to the chambers of Ibiki Morino"_

Shikamaru rolled the paper back up and stuffed it in a pocket of his chuunin vest. Tsunade gave a wave of her hand, silently excusing him from the room, and Shikamaru disappeared in a puff of smoke. As he made his way to where he knew Ibiki would be waiting, he couldn't help but complain.

_Pfft. Interrogation, great. Now I have to listen to someone talk for hours on end. Is there any jutsu that can make me temporarily deaf before I get there?_

* * *

"Neji, do you have a minute?"

He was wondering when she was finally going to open her mouth and say something. He had sensed her presence for the passed half an hour and he knew that she knew it. She knew there was no way in hell she could come within such close proximity of Neji without him knowing. She knew that his ignoring her for the duration of her hesitation to speak was his own way of politely allowing her to gather her thoughts before she approached him. She knew that he knew she was nervous. She knew that he probably had some idea of what she was about to say. Still, it needed to be said.

Neji walked over to the border of the Hyuuga property and jumped the fence to meet his visitor. This section of the property was rarely used, no one would overhear them. Still, he had to meet her just beyond their territorial boundary, the Hyuuga's weren't found of guests roaming about the secluded areas.

He brushed a few locks of hair away from his face; the damn hair tie had broken sometime earlier in the day and his tresses now hung loosely around him.

_He looks especially handsome today_

"Well?"

Neji's voice prompted. He tried to keep the annoyance out of it, but it wasn't like Tenten to take so long to speak. In the vast reaches of his mind, a yellow flag went up in warning. He ignored it. Tenten continued to stared at him, but the glazed over look in her eyes subsided and was replaced with determination. She was even able to smile a small smile.

"I'm sure you've guessed by now that I'm not here on business, and I know you're busy, so I'll make this quick."

An orange flag raised as Neji stared at his teammate.

"I've been wanting to say this for a long time, and now is probably as good a time as any."

The red flag shot up with such force that Neji actually had to concentrate to keep a straight face. He had suddenly realized where this one-sided conversation was going...

"I love you."

_Shit._

Were there tons of girls fawning over him? Yes. Had he been vainly hoping she wasn't one of them? Oh yeah. He had a suspicion over the years that there was more to his tomboyish teammate's praise than pure admiration of talent, but he had desperately hoped he was wrong. Such are the consequences of being labeled a genius.

Neji's lips twitched in preparation of a short, to-the-point response. He was going to let this one down gently, as his teammate, she deserved at least that. But she continued before he could start.

"I know...that you don't feel the same. I'm not so lovestruck as not to see that. I just wanted you to know, that's all."

All flags lowered. Could it be? She wasn't here to try and convince him to love her, she was here to finally express those feelings so that she could move on! Neji's body relaxed into a slouch as he leaned against the fence.

"I see."

Tenten gave him a mournful look, and Neji felt slightly guiltly for his relief. Slightly. She left then, without another word, leaving him to his own thoughts.

* * *

Ino fidgeted absently with the edge of her top. Business was slow in the flower shop today and she allowed her mind to wander as she sat idly behind the counter. Her small pink lips worked themselves into a pout.

_I haven't seen Shikamaru at all lately. Not once since the end of the mission. It's unusual._

Her fingers abruptly stopped harassing the hem of her shirt and Ino slouched dejectedly over the counter top. Blonde strands spread themselves like a blanket around her figure in new found freedom. One of Ino's hands was still badly injured -- which was why she was on a forced vacation from all shinobi related assignments -- and somehow, she just couldn't get the ponytail right that morning with one hand. So she left it down.

_And I know he hasn't left on a mission, he always tells me when he's leaving, or at least sends Chouji to tell me._

Ino's eyes fluttered up to the clock. It was well into the evening. She would have to close up shop soon.

_Doesn't look like he'll stop by today either. Is he...avoiding me? Is he mad? In all the time I've known him, we've never been apart this long._

Ino dragged herself upright and hopped off the stool. Grabbing a set of keys from a hook on the nearest wall, she made her way to the front door and flipped the sign hanging there from 'open' to 'closed'. Ino paused to look through the window pane of the door and put a palm on it. The glass was mildly cool to the touch, and it looked a little breezy, but she decided that a jacket wouldn't be necessary. Removing her hand from the window -- and leaving a handprint she would have to clean tomorrow -- Ino wrapped her fingers around the door knob and turned it. With the door open, she instantly felt the cool breeze floating by and could see the purple and pink hues in the sky signaling the sun's retirement. She walked out of the flower shop and pulled the door tightly closed behind her, being careful to lock it and then twist the knob to assure it was closed. Satisfied, Ino turned and began making her way home.

_Maybe I should stop by Shikamaru's house and ask him directly? But then his mom will start commenting on how cute we are together like she always does and his dad will start with the 'That's my boy!' stuff. That'll just make it more uncomfortable to ask why he hasn't been around._

Approaching her yard, Ino frowned slightly as another part of her mind registered that someone was leaning against her door. Even in the dimming light -- hell, even if it were pitch black outside -- Ino recognized that figure. She knew that awful posture anywhere.

"Shikamaru...?"

Ino couldn't help the questioning tone in her own voice. It was odd for Shikamaru to be AWOL for days and then randomly appear again. Now who was being troublesome?

"Ino."

Shikamaru uncrossed his arms and stood up straight; her presence always had that effect on him. Ino looked very carefully at his facial features. Wherever he had gone, he hadn't been just watching clouds; the tired eyes, chin stubble and frizzing hairline told her so. His expression told her that he had something important to say.

So many ways to tell her, each choice of words categorized and ordered in his mind. Each phrase had the potential for a different response: to make her angry, to make her worry, to make her proud, to tell her without really telling her...So many choices.

Too many choices. The genius was trapped by indecision, but now that he had her attention, he **had** to tell her something, least he get beaten for his silence...

"I got promoted."

Ino blinked.

"YOU WHAT?!"

It wasn't necessary for him to repeat himself, she had heard him loud and clear. How was this possible? Well, Ino knew Shikamaru had the potential for promotion, but she never thought he'd actually take the opprotunity. Afterall, a higher rank meant more work. Ino frowned and said the next thing that came to her mind.

"So you're a jounin now then?"

Shikamaru averted his eyes.

"Not exactly."

"Then wha-"

She realized it before she could even finish her sentence.

"YOU **IDIOT! **You can't go ANBU all by yourself! There's no way me and Chouji can back you on those kind of missions! You'll be killed!"

_You'll be away from me_

He wanted to smile, but he knew that would be a very dangerous thing to do right now.

"Why?"

Her voice cracked and Shikamaru's eyes locked on Ino again. He could see the tears already welling up in those sky blue eyes. Even when her face turned red and she cried, Ino was still beautiful to him. Shikamaru cleared the small distance between them and embraced her.

_It's the only way. The only way to always know when you're in danger. The only chance I have at protecting you..._

* * *

**Author's note:** Sorry for the wait everyone!!! It's the end of the semester and I had some tests to take and papers to write . I hope it was worth waiting for :P OMG, how did Tenten work herself into my story? I don't even like her:O Lol. Okay, so there wasn't that much Neji in this chapter, but there will be in the next, much much more! Stay tuned as the drama unfolds...XD

EDIT: December 1, 2007 -- Reuploaded because I've been getting notes that this chapter wasn't loading right. Thanks for telling me!


	6. Jealousy

**Tempting Fate, Chapter six: Jealousy**

Steaming hot water stung pale skin in warning as a well-defined leg slipped beneath it's surface. It was soon followed by a second leg and more as the owner of the legs sat down with a hitch in breath and leaned back against the smooth surface of the tub. A groan escaped thin lips as the head tilted back for maximum comfort; the hot water was heaven to sore muscles. Even just the heat of the steam on his chest and the humid smell of the bathhouse was sheer pleasure. Neji adjusted his position so that he could slouch and allow the miraculous liquid to inch further up his torso and heighten the euphoria. Yes, this was the very embodiment of relaxation. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, moving slighlt every few seconds to ward off stiffness. Neji tried to concentrate only on the wonderful feeling of his body temperature rising, alas, his mind had other plans.

_It's quiet. Even more so than usual. No footsteps, no hushed voices. No traces of active chakra anywhere. Not even...the whistle of the teapot. She usually makes the tea this time of day. Where is Hinata-sama? It has been a while since I'ven seen her. If I am not mistaken, she has not been home often lately._

Neji opened his eyes and sat up straight, stretching as he did so. The tiny popping sounds of his joints sounded loud in the small room and he glanced around distantly. The entirety of the walls were covered in a mural. A mural depicting vibrant flowers in fall colors. It was at Hinata's request they had been decorated in such a way, but it was not Hinata Neji was reminded of as he looked at them.

_I haven't seen __**her**__ in a while either._

The beginings of a frown crossed his facial features, but he smoothed away the wrinkles almost automatically as swiftly as they had come.

_I wonder..._

Subconsciously, Neji noted that the water was already becoming lukewarm. Steam no longer danced on his pectorals and his legs and arms no longer felt the biting sting of the hot bath. With a small sound, he stood and stepped out of the tub. Nothing was as useless as a cold bath. Nothing short of piping hot would do. Two short steps later, Neji stretched for a towel draped over a chair. He quickly ran it over his body -- more to stop dripping than to dry himself really -- and wrapped it around his waist. Barefooted, bare-chested, and smelling like a hot summer's rain, Neji made his way out the indoor bathhouse, through the hallway, and into his bedroom. Once there, he quickly, brushed his hair back, secured it with a band, and dressed himself. As he reached for the knob of his door, he noticed a presence shifting uncomfortably on the other side. He opened it anyway. His bright-eyed cousin stood there, slightly shocked and choosing to stare rather akwardly at his collarbone rather than his eyes. After all these years, she still felt uneasy near him, and he could hardly blame her. After all, it was he who had tried to kill her at one point. Being fully aware of her reluctance to initiate a conversation, Neji prompted her.

"You wanted something, Hinata-sama?"

His voice was calm and inviting, and if she had paid attention, Hinata may have noticed the slight undertone that he was happy to see her. It was barely there, but there nonetheless. Hinata's eyes flickered up at him briefly.

"Nii-san, I was wondering...if you could...train me today..."

The shy teen in front of him tried to smile at him, and she did, but it did nothing to hide her uneasiness. Neji eyed his cousin -- more like half-sister genetically, since their fathers were twins -- with a restrained gentleness. He couldn't remember the last time he had trained with her. He really should have been nicer to her when they were younger; he wondered now if their relationship would have this underlying strain for the rest of their lives. He deserved it; she didn't.

"I have some business to take care of for Hiashi-sama,"

Hinata's face fell noticeably.

"but when I return, yes, I'll train with you. Sparr with Hanabi-sama until then."

Hinata gave a short nod.

"Thank you, onii-san."

She hurried down the hallway and away from him; Neji watched with hooded eyes. Yep, the damage had been done. He could probably never call her name, sit by her, or touch her hand again without her flinching. Part of him missed the days when they interacted freely. Moving his eyes away from the corner Hinata disappeared behind, Neji reviewed the day's agenda.

_Arrive at location C no later than high noon. Once there, rendevous with an informant possessing a coded message. Leave the rendevous point and relay the message back to Hiashi-sama.

* * *

_

Blue eyes shifted sharply to the left at the detection of movement. At the confirmation of a shinobi advancing towards her, the kunoichi rose from her seated position at the base of the tree. She took in the sight of pale skin, long ebony hair, and a blank expression as the Konoha ninja drew near. Almost too easily a smile graced her soft lips.

_So, it's him_

He stopped a few feet away from her and gave his full attention; waited for whatever words she had for him. In the corners of his mind, he wished that this meeting was under more leisurely circumstances rather than business. Wished he didn't need a command from the head of his clan to come see her. Wished he didn't need a reason at all and could meet her just because he wanted to...Ino cleared her throat.

"He-who-knows-truth of the Rain Village has this to say: 'The fire goes out at midnight'."

Neji nodded and silently tucked the message away in his memory. It was not his business to understand it, but only to receive and replay it back to Hiashi. The two of them stood there for a minute, both of their jobs now done and now, now waiting. Waiting...for what? Neji shuffled uncharacteristically.

"Your leg is better."

Ino's face softened; she'd been walking again for a over a week now, but then it had been some time since she saw the Hyuuga last.

"Yeah. You know how amazing Tsunade-sama is."

Indeed, Tsunade was amazing because even after the alarmingly deep gashes Ino had received, Neji could find no scars on what he could see of those long, slender legs and radiant skin. Not a single one. It was however, still quite soon for Ino to be back on active duty -- many of the cuts had reached the muscle after all. Neji looked Ino square in the eye.

"Shouldn't you be in a bed somewhere instead of out here?"

Okay, so the question didn't come out as nicely as it could have, but Neji wasn't known for his people skills anyway. Ino didn't seem bothered by the potentially offensive question.

"Nope. I'm right out here, where I belong. I know Shizune-san says 'to hasten healing is to shorten the lifespan', but hell, what kind of life does one have lying around in a bed all day?"

She laughed humorlessly and continued.

"I can't do anything stuck in a bed. I feel...worthless if I'm sitting around doing nothing. It's like--"

She thought for a minute, then shrugged her shoulders.

"It's like being in a cage."

Ino finished softly. This surprised the Hyuuga and an eyebrow quircked up in spite of himself. Slowly, his practiced, blank expression eased into a relaxed one.

"I understand."

Now it was Ino's turn to be surprised. Here she was, babbling on about things she should keep to herself again, and somehow in the insecure ramblings, Neji had understood what she felt. She wanted to hug him, to thank him for listening to her and empathizing with her, but Ino settled for giving him a strong smile as her gratitude. He caught the gesture and studied her face for a minute. There was a silent moment of peace between them, and neither felt the urge to break it with unnecessary small talk, but Neji had to be returning to the Hyuuga grounds soon. He was being expected since his orders were to get the code and return home. And Hinata was still waiting for him. He turned to leave.

"Thank you."

The words left Ino's lips before she even completely registered them. He looked back at her, again to acknowledge her gratitude, before continuing on his way back home.

* * *

An empty shotglass clinked onto the bar countertop and was accompanied with a heavy exhale. Shikamaru looked over, slightly worried, and put a hand on his companion's back.

"Oi, you okay Ino? That's your fifth one. You know your tolerance--"

"I know! I know it okay? Just let me...have a few more."

He could tell by her slumped posture and heavy breathing that something was really bothering the girl. He would have known even if she tried to hide it -- he knew Ino's moods like the back of his hand.

_Troublesome_

She wasn't tipsy just yet, but if he let her have anymore she would be getting there soon. Shikamaru didn't like it when Ino got tipsy; very embarassing things tended to happen then and he was always the one who had to try and keep things from getting out of control. Better to try and help her with whatever problem she had before she tried to solve it herself with alcohol.

"Ino."

He didn't even have to ask the question. All Ino had to do was look up at his face.

"It's too much."

She rubbed at her forehead and brushed her bangs away from her face.

"It's too much pressure. The shop. The missions. The medicine. The family. The exams. It's too much! I can't keep going like this. I'm--"

_I'm going to crack_

Shikamaru watched her intently. He felt for her, really. Ino did tend to take on a lot of things all at once; it was just her style. But how long can a person last bearing that weight all on their own? He calmly removed his hand from her back and slid her shotglass away from her. She didn't protest.

"Ne, Ino. Why don't you stay with me for a while? Get a change of scenery; some fresh air. Get away from the tension."

Ino looked at him sleepily. It was almost unlike Shikamaru to actually offer to do something. If he had suggested it, she probably needed him. She could always trust Shikamaru.

"Mmm, fine."

They stayed at the bar only a few more mintues before Shikamaru decided they should leave. Ino was still sober, but he could tell she had a lot on her mind and being in a noisy, stinking bar probably wasn't helping. It was a short walk to his house, and as they entered, Ino made a beeline for the shower. From the bathroom, he heard her voice call out.

"I claim the bed. I need it more than you do."

Shikamaru looked in her direction, but didn't respond. He didn't really care; he could sleep on his own couch just fine. He sat on said couch and reclined, staring up at the ceiling for what seemed like only a few minutes, lost in thought. In actually, half an hour passed and Ino soon came out the shower sporting two towels and a trail of steam following her. She went straight into his bedroom.

"Shower's all yours."

She closed the door behind her and Shikamaru stood up. He went into the bathroom and turned on the water, shedding his clothes as he waited for the water to heat up again. When he guessed the water was finally hot again, he stepped inside. He welcomed the gentle beating of water on his body with closed eyes and a deep breath.

_Should I tell her tonight? I think she would actually take me seriously if I told her now. She may even accept my feelings. Or actually return them. And her stress, she needs me right now. I could help her. But then, it may be akward if I tell her. She'll feel even more burdened and then she really might break down. I can't let that happen. ... ... ... Why can't it just be as simple as telling her I love her?_

Shikamaru finished up in the shower, his question still unanswered, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He quitely stepped out of the bathroom and opened the door to his bedroom. He'd have to get some shorts to sleep in unless he wanted Ino to beat him to death in the morning upon finding him naked on the couch. As he walked into the room, his eyes quickly found Ino already covered up and fast asleep on his bed. If there was ever any doubt in his mind that he loved her (which there wasn't), Shikamaru was a hundred percent sure now, as he watched her breathing shallowly on the pillow. He'd give anything to be next to her right now. Before temptation got the best of him, Shikamaru walked over to his dresser, pull out some shorts, and left the room. He could dress in the living room.

All dried off and clad in shorts, Shikamaru lied down on what was to be his sleeping spot for the night. He knew already that he wasn't going to sleep tonight, but it was worth a try to at least lie down. He even closed his eyes as thoughts of only Ino swirled in his mind.

* * *

Morning found Shikamaru sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed, but still awake. He could hear the sounds of Ino getting up back in the room and knew she would be out soon. He continued to lay there. Ten minutes later, Ino did in fact emerge from the bedroom wide awake and fully dressed. She walked softly into the living room and stopped at one end of the couch.

_...wow. _

She stared at Shikamaru in all his manly glory. For starters, he was shirtless. A wonderful collection of muscles adorned his chest, torso, and upper arms; bare for all her viewing pleasure. Why hadn't she noticed before? She watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing and dully noted the spiral, telltale ANBU tattoo he was spoting on his left shoulder. And with his hair down like that...Ino was sure if she could somehow take a picture of him like this and post it all over town, women and men alike would be knocking down Shikamaru's door. Damn he was hot.

"What?"

Ino jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. As a ninja, she shouldn't have been caught off guard, but the sight of him had been so mesmerizing...not to mention he was pretty damn good at pretending to sleep. She recovered quickly from her initial startlement and gave her thanks for him letting her stay the night. Shikamaru replied with something close to his usual comment, and just like that, Ino left to go get started on whatever business she had that day. As soon as the door closed, Shikamaru stood up, walked over to the front door, and opened it in hopes catching one last look. Instead, he noticed someone very unexpected just a few feet from his doorstep.

Neji took a moment to taken in what his eyes were seeing. Before him stood Shikamaru; correction, a half naked Shikamaru in the doorway Ino had left just moments ago. Thick black hair framed his face in an unruly bush and Neji could see a fresh black spiral on the Nara's shoulder. It was beyond obvious that used-to-be underachiever had just woken up. When it once again hit him that Ino had just left this house, all words abandoned Neji's mouth, and he silently turned and walked off. Raging inside with jealousy, Neji went through the rest of his day quite mechanically and detached. His early morning discovery refused to be purged from his mind and instead plagued him; taunted him. It wasn't until he laid down that night that he finally confronted **why** the scene bothered him so much. He though back to all the times he had seen Ino recently, replayed the memories in his mind and inspected them closely. Inspected himself closely. How had he not noticed? All the while he had been slowly falling...and this morning had just been the impact of the floor.

He was in love with her.

Between all the 'how's and 'why's, Neji figured out he would probably never know exactly. What he did know was that Ino was already _involved_. Taken. Undisputedly not his to have. It just wasn't meant to be.

But...

_Fuck destiny_

So what if she wasn't his. So what if she and Shikamaru were so _perfect_ together. To hell with it all. He loved her and, despite whatever crackpot plans fate had in store, he was going to tell her so.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Allright, minna-san, there was chapter six!! Are you guys excited yet? The drama is just starting to build. I've always imagined that Shikamaru's hair is thick from the texture of his ponytail, think about it, even if Neji's hair was short and he wore it in a higher ponytail, it would hang limply instead of standing straight up like Shikamaru's. That's my reasoning, anyway. As I promised, there was more Neji in this chapter and hopefully it's all clear that this isn't just a xIno story; it's a ShikaInoNeji love triangle (not to be confused with a threesome). And I'm not telling you who she ends up with! ...At least not yet, although some of you already kinda know : ) Anyway, look forward to the next chapter (which won't be out for a while 0.0), it's titled 'L.O.V.E.' And as always, thanks for 738 hits and keep those reviews rolling! XD Peace. 


	7. LOVE

**Tempting Fate, Chapter seven: L.O.V.E.**

_...leave my bracelet on the--_

_...remember to lock the back door?_

_...really must get a babysitter for--_

_...the hell is she?_

_...got to get a better job--_

Ino groaned and rolled over in her sleep, promptly covering her head with the pillow. What the hell was all that noise? What, was it 'everyone speak as loud as you can' day out in the village streets?

_...Shiori needs new shoes--_

_...cheated me out of ten yen!_

_...does this always happen to me?_

With a frustrated grunt, Ino rolled over, sat up, and promptly propelled the pillow across the room. She stared angrily at the window nearest to the bed. The stupid dream had irritated her to the point of waking her up, and now that she was wide awake, there was no way she could go back to sleep. Ino roughly threw the sheets off her in a fit of anger and they landed on the other side of the bed. Shikamaru would probably look at this mess questioningly later when he got home. She didn't care, at least not right now. She'd probably feel a little guilty later though. Ino stood up and walked over to the dresser. Maybe if she went outside and walked around for a bit in the fresh air, her nerves would calm. Ino, however, discovered in her drawer of the dresser (which Shikamaru had graciously surrendered) that while she had a skirt left, she was out of shirts. So much for rushed packing. She grabbed the skirt and shoved the drawer closed, quickly snatching open another. Ino dug around for a minute in the sea of fishnet, looking for the smallest one.

_He wont mind if I borrow one shirt._

Dressed and out the door, Ino relaxed feeling the warm sun on her cheeks. She was thankful for the clear weather, Ino wasn't sure if she could handle bad weather today. Walking along the village, Ino vaguely noted the civillians going about their daily lives and a few off-duty shinobi here and there. She waved to Tsunade's personal henchmen, Kotetsu and Izumo. Ino eyed Kotetsu's bandage playfully.

_**I've always wondered, what is he hiding? Is his nose really big? Or is there a scar he doesn't want anyone to see? Or...**_

She giggled.

_**is he trying to play it off as some form of fashion trend?**_

When she stopped laughing, Ino noticed Kotetsu was giving her an odd look, along with several other bystanders. Akward, but then again, Ino had just burst out laughing for no apparent reason. It should be no surprise that people were staring at her. Ino smiled nervously and continued on her walk. It wasn't long before she was approaching a vendor selling framed art. She stood back from his prospective customers, who were already fighting over a particular picture. Looking closer, Ino saw it was a painting of a buck standing in the forest. Her hand rubbed her chin in thought.

_**That would look really good on Shika's wall. That, one or two tapestries, and a new rug. And I bet--**_

Ino abruptly stopped her thoughts. People were staring at her again. Was it the shirt? Ino thought Shikamaru's fishnet looked rather good on her, but maybe the general public thought otherwise? She should have thrown on a light jacket. She walked on past the vendor and directed her attention to the sky.

_**The clouds are abundant today. I wonder if--**_

"INO!"

With an eyebrow arched, Ino stopped in her tracks and looked in the direction the voice came from. Sure enough, Shikamaru was running straight towards her. Winded, he stopped two feet from her and gave her an odd look.

"Is that my shirt?"

The confusion on his face and in his voice made Ino laugh; it wasn't often she caught Shikamaru off gaurd like that. It was cute. Recovering, Shikamaru addressed her again.

"Oi, Ino, we need to go see your father."

Ino's face fell. He ran all the way to her to tell her _that?_ And just moments ago she was considering cloud-watching with him. She sulked.

"Later."

"It can't wait, Ino we have to go **now**."

She looked at him carefully.

_**Why is everyone acting so weird today?**_

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Ino, I can **hear** you."

Ino looked at him like he was dumb, crossing her arms and tilting her head slightly.

"What are you talking about?"

_**This day keeps getting more and more odd.**_

"Ino. I can hear you. And so can the rest of Konoha. You're **broadcasting**, Ino."

She maintained the look for another few seconds before the information sunk in. She was broadcasting? As in...people were hearing her thoughts?

"OH SHIT!"

Panic swept arcoss her face, her hand immediately grabbed at her hair, and her volume rose.

"Why didn't anyone tell me! This whole day--arrgh!"

She shut her eyes tightly closed and her hands fisted in her hair. Still looking uncomfortable, Shikamaru took a step forward and removed his hands from his pockets to bring Ino's to her sides before she tore her hair out.

"Let's go see your father."

He repeated quietly and looked at her face. She looked so...defeated. He turned and released one of her hands, leading her with the other. Ino silently followed bhind, staring at his back. A long time passed with the two of them walking in silence, until Ino stopped, giving Shikamaru a small tug on the hand.

"Shikamaru."

Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest and resonated loudly in her ears. It was as if the words she was preparing to say evaporated into the air before even being spoken. She tried again.

"Shika, I--"

He searched her face, brown eyes staring intently into blue ones.

"I..."

Shikamaru found himself leaning closer in spite of himself. He wanted to let her finish her sentence; desperately wanted to hear what he already discovered in her eyes. But more than that, he wanted to tell her. He felt as if it were killing him to keep it inside any longer, and yet for once, his brain couldn't function. For a hazy moment, he inched closer to tell her the only way that was making any sense to him. To show her. Their noses touched and a small, surprised gasp left Ino's lips just before--

"Nara."

Cruelly jolted out of his temporary brain freeze, Shikamaru pulled back and looked at the man speaking to him. Ino looked down, emotions making her head reel and cheeks flush. There went her chance. Trying to regain some control, Ino bravely brought her eyes up. On the outside, Neji appeared to be his normal, stoic self. But a ninja's life depended on seeing beyond the obvious, and Ino already noticed the underlying sharpness in his voice, the way Neji's eyes lingered dangerously on Ino and Shikamaru's intertwined hands and the fishnet shirt covering her upper half. Ino knew that if she noticed, Shikamaru must have too. Both of their hands relaxed into a looser grip and for some reason, Ino felt like a kid who had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar. Shikamaru's expression was unreadable.

"I need to speak with her."

* * *

A wandering leaf laid itself to rest on a tanned forehead. Shikamaru didn't notice. His thoughts were going a mile a minute and while he was laying on his back under an intriguing sky, his eyes were shut tightly. The sky that once offered him daydreams and beautiful cloud patterns had failed to bring him serenity. Arms behind his head, he lay unnaturally still and tried to change the focus of his thoughts. Hearing his mother yell, Icha Icha Paradise, training with Gai -- anything to force away thoughts of Ino. Anything to force away thoughts of Ino with Neji. It wasn't working.

_Neji's sensible. He never goes out of his way to do anything and he never wastes time. If he wants to see Ino, it's because he has a reason. But I can't think of a single reason why he would want to speak with her. His training is top notch. He doesn't need help carrying out missions. Doesn't need flowers or medical attention either. What the hell does he want with her? He's barely spoken to her before at all. But then...that time when she was hurt...in the woods, and again in the hospital...then a few days ago he showed up at my door. And that look he gave just today..._

Shikamaru's eyes opened lazily and he frowned at the shifting clouds up above him.

_Yeah. I'm almost sure about it. He likes her._

He stood up, the leaf falling quietly to his side, and shoved his hands into his pockets. His feet soon found him wandering aimlessly around the village and he cast a glance into a restaurant window.

_Chouji._

The brown eyed genius sat himself opposite of his best friend, who warmly welcomed him and made conversation between mouthfuls. Not feeling particularly talkative, Shikamaru tried to maintain his end of the smalltalk. Evidently he wasn't trying hard enough, because fifteen minutes later, Chouji was silently staring at Shikamaru. He didn't even know how long ago he'd stopped talking. He looked at his friend, plagued with a small bout of guilt, but Chouji just shook his head.

"You still haven't told her, have you?"

* * *

"Go out with me."

Ino's heart suddenly forgot it's rhythm. If she didn't calm herself down, she was going to have a coronary right there on the grassy knoll. She stared, shocked, into pale eyes. His voice was strong and masculine, but his eyes pleaded with her for a chance. How was it that he look so honest, so open at this moment? Ino was quite sure she had never seen this much emotion on the Hyuuga's face. Her heart continued its erratic dance, ruthlessly crashing into the wall of her chest.

"Ino."

Neji had to admit, Ino's name sounded foreign coming from his lips. It occured to him then that it was probably because he had never said her name out loud before. Ino racked her brain for something to say. It wasn't as if she hadn't been asked out before, but this was a slightly different situation. She liked Neji, that much she knew. But did she like him in _that_ way? And what about Shikamaru? She had feelings for him as well, and knew exactly how she felt about him. And if the display an hour ago was any indication, she knew how he felt about her too. Ino chose her words carefully.

"Neji, Shikamaru and I --"

"I'm aware."

Neji looked away from her, instead, finding a distant tree to concentrate on. Ino could only stare at him. After a heavy pause, his eyes found her again. He could tell she was almost trembling; he hadn't meant to put so much pressure on her. But was there any other way? Ino's hand was tightly clutching the front of her shirt; Neji gently removed it and brought it to his lips for a short, adoring kiss.

"Just think about it."

He slowly released her hand and walked away. Ino watched with a worried expression.

_One of them will be hurt_

* * *

**Author's note: **I hate to tell you guys, but Tempting Fate is winding down! Only two or three more chapters. Don't worry, I'll make sure they're long :D I'm kinda sad, but excited too; this'll be the first story I've actually _finished_ on I should throw a party. Or something. It got kinda romance-novel-cheesy in this chapter, sorry about that if I overdid it. And somehow this chapter seemed short to me. I'm still learning. Anyway, next chapter's title: Choice. Break out the popcorn and tissues 'cause that one will be a nail-biter and possibly a tear-jerker! 


	8. Choices

**Tempting Fate, Chapter eight: Choices**

Ino woke up with the previous day's events playing in her mind like a memorized scene from a play. She had slept -- only four hours, but she had slept -- and yet first thing in the morning, as her brain began to wake, it was immediately assaulted with the fresh memory of the kiss-that-almost-was and the startling request from an unexpected admirer. So exclusively did these thoughts occupy her mind that it surprised her when Ino rolled to her left, fully expecting to gaze out of Shikamaru's window, only for her eyes to meet with a yellow painted wall. She groggily recalled that after Neji's confession yesterday, she had told Shikamaru that she would spend the night with her family. She felt a small wave of regret for it now, missed his room all too much, but she needed the space to clear her mind -- not to mention discuss a certain problem with her dad. Disappointed, Ino sat up and looked past the foot of her bed and into the mirror on her dresser.

Damn.

With the dark circles around her eyes, Ino looked more like Sabaku no Gaara's sister than Temari did. The slight redness in the whites of her eyes only made it that much more prominent. Ino was thankful at that moment for the few medical techniques she had because, despite popular belief, she did not own a single pact of make up. Unless lip gloss counted; Ino was a lip gloss fiend. She would have two tubes of it on her at any given time -- one in her kunai pouch and one in her top, for back up. She remembered that when her love of 'the tube' first began, Shikamaru swore it made her lips way too shiney and that boys would hate it, but she noticed that the comment was followed by an acute stare. Ino closed her eye and placed the index and middle fingers of each hand over each eyelid. A few seconds later she removed them and opened her eyes again.

"Much better."

Now she looked like the beautiful Ino eveyone expected her to be. She rose from the bed and started through her daily routine. Mid tooth-brushing, Ino's father knocked on the bathroom door.

"Squeaker, Tsunade-sama wants to see you this morning."

Ino frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She loved her dad's affections, but 'Squeaker' -- which stemmed from the observation that her voice sometimes squeaked when she yelled -- was not her favorite nickname. But she was an only child, and he was a single father, just trying to do his best. She spat in the sink and rinsed with water.

"Allright."

Wiping her mouth with a towel, Ino was greatful that she had decided to get dressed before brushing her teeth this morning. With a short stop at the bottom of the stairs to give her dad the usual peck on the cheek goodbye, Ino flew out the door. She ran as quickly as she could to the tower because every shinobi knew -- hell thath no fury like an angry Tsunade if you were late. She made it in record time. Shizune met her at the door and told her to go right in, so she did. Entering the room, Ino's eyes landed on not only the Hokage, but Ibiki Morino. Tsunade gave Ino a smile as Ino stared puzzlingly at the man; he cleared his throat.

"Given yesterday's...little event, I've come here to discuss with you a future in the interrogation unit."

The Hokage waved a hand at a chair in front of her desk.

"Please, have a seat."

* * *

Ever the disciplined ninja, Neji was training alone on the grounds of branch family property when Hinata came to fetch him. He muttered the proper salutation and she returned it, drawing cautiously nearer.

"Father wants to see us both. N-now."

She looked very agitated, and Neji suspected that Hiashi was probably in a foul mood. Wordlessly, they made their way to the innermost part of the main branch household, the master bedroom belonging to Hiashi. Neji found it odd that he would summon them to his room; Hiashi was a very private man and usually met with them in a room reserved solely for that purpose. He and Hinata knelt at the thin door, as was custom, and Hinata slid it open slowly. They both bowed so that their foreheads nearly touched the ground, and when he waved his hand, they stood and walked in to kneel again at his tatami mat after Hinata slid the door closed behind them. Hiashi was still in bed, propped up by pillows, and Neji noticed how many fine lines had accumulated on his face over the years. Hinata stared at the floor. Hiashi stared at them both as if it pained him to do so.

_Neji looks so much like you, Hizashi_

When his voice came, it sounded far off and airy.

"As you see, I am ill. You have already known this."

He stared openly at Hinata, who glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze to the floor. For the passed four months, she had been playing the role of the dutiful daughter bringing him special teas and salves for his aching body. Nothing had caused any improvement. Hinata's small hands gripped at the carpet under them. Generally, she would only speak when spoken to with her father, but his current state left her not wanting him to waste any of his breath.

"W-would you like us to get Hokage-sama?"

She had almost whispered it and Hiashi had to strain to hear it. Neji looked at her shaking shoulders. No wonder he had been made her gaurdian. Part of him was ashamed of her; wanted to slap her. The other part was tinged with pity and a bit of empathy; urged him to hug her. Neither would be an acceptable action and Neji simply stared on.

"No Hinata. You need not bother her. No medicine will stop the inevitable, my time runs short."

A barely audiable whimper left Hinata's throat but she said nothing. As strict and uncaring as he was, he was still her father, and she hated to hear such words. Neji stared solemnly at Hiashi. If the old man had a point, it would be coming soon.

"Hinata, you are my daughter. And no matter how _gentle_, you are my heir. Nothing will change that. But,"

He closed his eyes and drew a breath.

"there are certain duties and obligations that come with such a position. You are expected to be _strong_, Hinata. I fear for the future of our clan."

Hiashi sighed and opened his eyes again. Hinata's lip quivered and she remained silent.

"For this reason, I ask of you to share the title with Neji."

Mild shock spread across Neji's features. Could this even be real? Hiashi was making him co-heir? It was a bit much to absorb.

"Yes otou-san."

Again, her words were barely a whisper, but Hiashi knew she had agreed. It wasn't like she had a choice, anyway. Neji swallowed and contemplated on whether or not he really wanted to ask the question in his mind. After a moment, he decided knowing was better than not knowing.

"Hiashi-sama, does this mean you want me to...Want us to...?"

For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to utter the word 'marry'. It troubled him too much that at this point, when he had finally taken interest in someone, he might be forced to be husband to one while in love with another.

"That will be Hinata's decision. I give her that choice as the true, original heir. You will share the position regardless."

Neji released a breath he didn't realize he was holding, but gave no visual of doing so. When Hiashi died, the elders of the clan might try to pressure Hinata into the marriage, she'd be a living puppet. But that was still better than a direct order from Hiashi. At least he would have some time before then. Time to think; to plan some way out of it.

"Go now, I'm tired."

Hiashi waved them off and they stood, bowing before they turned to exit. Outside his door, Neji faced Hinata and kept his voice low and controlled.

"Well Hinata-sama, what is it that you want?"

Predictably, Hinata stared somewhere off to her right instead of looking at him.

"Nii-san, I kind of...I wanted to..."

Her voice grew even quieter and despite being less than two feet away from her, Neji could not hear her. Hinata realized this when no response came and repeated herself a little louder, fiddling with her fingers. Neji still didn't quite catch it, but vaguely made out the sound of Naruto's name. For the second time that day, he exhaled heavily. Thank Kami-sama.

* * *

'Troublesome' was an understatement. This situation was far beyond troublesome; exceeded _tiresome_ even, and Shikamaru had no words by which to describe it. On top of what happened yesterday, Ino went back to her own home last night, and the house just didn't feel the same without her. _He_ didn't feel the same without her. It was like every little thing pissed him off -- something he noticed when he instantly felt like killing someone that morning just because he was out of rice. Shikamaru paced angrily about the apartment for hours before it struck him that staying home wasn't doing him any good. Not wanting to be disappointed by his clouds again, and certainly not in the mood to work, he decided to swing by the family house in an attempt to distract his busy mind. It was a short walk and Shikamaru was thankful; he'd hate to have anyone see him like this. Casually walking in like he always did, Shikamaru was relieved to see that his mother was not home. She was probably either out grocery shopping or gossiping with friends, either way he guessed that if he went upstairs and stayed quietly in his old room, she wouldn't know he was home. He was content with this plan and was starting up the stairs when he traced familiar chakra from the living room. His dad was home. Shikamaru cursed silently as he knew soon his father's voice would sound, beckoning him to come and when he got there, probably try and persuade him to go drinking with him, Chouza and Inoichi.

"Ah, son, is that you?"

Shikamaru hated it when he was right, unfortunately geniuses were rarely wrong. He descended the few steps he had climbed and took his time walking to the living room. When he finally got there, he found his father playing shougi by himself.

"What do you want, old man?"

Shikaku smiled at his son. Damn if he wasn't just like he had been at that age.

"C'mere son, I wanna talk with ya."

He gestured at a nearby chair and Shikamaru reluctantly sat in it.

"Where's Ino? You never bring her home anymore; you hardly visit yourself. What happened, you two have a fight or something?"

The younger Nara rolled his eyes. It was worse than previously thought. There were times when Shikaku barely noticed his son, but then there were other times when he butted in. Shikamaru mentally lamented that his mother's traits were rubbing off on his father.

"None of your business."

"Aw, come on now son. Us Nara men are better than that with women! You know why your mother and I never fight?"

Shikamaru frowned and looked away. He knew exactly why they never fought, it was one of the reasons he had been so eager to get out of the house: he couldn't stand the ungodly sounds that escaped their room at night.

"We never fight 'cause I always let her think she's right! It'll eat at your pride, but you gotta do it boy. It's better in the long run."

"Why are we having this conversation?"

His bored eyes stared psuedo-menacingly at his father. The sooner the man got to the point, the sooner he'd shut up and Shikamaru could try and force himself to forget this conversation ever took place. Shikaku smiled suddenly at his son. Shikamaru didn't like that look. His father dug a hand into one of his pockets and rummaged around before emerging with a closed palm.

"You ought to thank me."

He reached out his closed hand and Shikamaru opened on of his to accept whatever was inside. Shikaku's hand turned over and opened and something small dropped into Shikamaru's palm. Shikamaru quickly indentified it as a ring and looked up suspiciously at his father, who stood up.

"Inoichi gives his blessings already, go on and ask the girl. Well all know how you feel anyway."

For the first time in his life, at least as far as his memory served him, Shikamaru's face turned a deep crimson. His father laughed and gave him a pat on the back before going out the front door. Shikamaru stayed there, in temporary shock, staring at the tiny item in his hand.

_They knew_

Worse than that, they knew and they expected him to do something about it. Something Shikamaru hadn't even considered yet; it _had_ been just yesterday when he figured out his feelings weren't unrequited. Snapping out of it, Shikamaru glanced at the door and realized that it wasn't safe to contemplate this down here. His mother could come home any moment, and oh Kami-sama, he did NOT want to face her right now. He stood and ran up the stairs; if she did come home and somehow discover him, there was always his window and he could make a break for it.

In his room, Shikamaru closed the door and locked the three locks above his doorknob. They would do nothing to keep out shinobi, but they were good enough to keep out his civillian mother. Feeling suddenly drained, Shikamaru threw himself backwards onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling, turning the ring over and over in his fingers. How did things get so complicated? He could see his master plan of leading a simple life slipping further and further away from him.

_Marry Ino, huh? __**Marry**__ Ino. Marry __**Ino**__. It would be the epitome of everything that is NOT simple. But the idea is kind of nice_

Enticing was more like it. When Shikamaru really thought about it, Ino was the only female he could stand to be around for long periods of time. Of course loving her made it that much easier, but he truely couldn't picture himself with anyone else. A smile crossed his lips unknowingly.

_Ino in a wedding kimono. Ino in my shirt. Ino in __**no**__ shirt._

He swept his free hand over his face to shake the thought away.

_No. Focus. Evaluate the situation. The advantages are obvious. What are the disadvantages?_

His forehead wrinkled and he continued to stare up at his bare ceiling.

_She'll make a big deal over the wedding. She'll insist on changing almost everything about me, or at the very least, changing everything about my house. Chouji might feel left out -- we always do everything together, there'll be an imbalance. And I'll have to do something about all those stalkers Ino pretends she doesn't know she has. And..._

Shikamaru stopped flipping the ring and tucked it safely into a pocket.

_I'll have to deal with the Hyuuga. He may not try to kill me, but he may not give up on Ino either. That'll be a problem._

He sat up abruptly and pushed himself off the bed and towards the window.

_I'll have to go pay him a visit._

* * *

It was noticably later in the day when Ino was finally dismissed from the Hokage Tower. It shouldn't have surprised Ino that the head of the Interrogation Unit was quite the garrulous man -- she felt like confessing and she hadn't even done anything. And this was how he was when he was _nice_. Ino shuddered at the thought of getting on his bad side and pitied any children the man might have.

A stray cloud suddenly barged in front of the sun and Konoha was plunged into one giant shadow.

_Shika_

That was about all it took for Ino to be immediately reminded of her current predicament. She had a choice to make: the sure thing or the risky long shot.

_I'd better find him; I've got to say something and do some kind of damage control on this situation before things get crazy. I bet he's slumped over his couch like a dead cat right now._

Ino was wrong. Not only was Shikamaru not on the sofa, but he wasn't in his house at all. She brushed it off and hurried to Chouji's house.

"Oh, him. Not here."

Chouji's mother answered distractedly, trying to sew some garment in her hand and keep an eye on Chouji's three year old sister all at once. She closed the door before Ino could even ask if Chouji was home. Undeterred, Ino treaded over to Shikamaru's family house. Luckily, she peeked in a window before she knocked on the door. Shikamaru's mother seemed to be having a gossip party as six women encircled her in the living room. Ino held her breath and backed away slowly; if she was seen, she'd have to suffer being introduced as 'My future daughter-in-law' as the woman had pegged her. Worse than that, afterwards would come the shameless prodding of 'So Ino, just how far have you gone with my son?' . It would be mortifying, and Ino would gladly take a kunai to the heart than undergo _that._ Shikamaru had not been lying about her.

Finally a safe distance away from the Nara residence, Ino scaled the side of a closed store to get the view of the field in the distance. It had been a wise idea that saved her a trip, because Ino couldn't spot Shikamaru's silhouette. Where the hell was he? The last time he went missing, the reason had scared her. Ino briefly considered putting up 'missing' posters as a joke.

_Missing: Teenaged, lazy looking boy. Has brown eyes, black hair and an affinity for clouds. Dislikes boiled eggs. Answers to 'Shikamaru'._

Ino snickered quietly to herself.

_I should slap a collar on him next time I see him! Or a tracking device. Hmm._

* * *

Neji knew he was being watched. Fault the strange sixth sense that all Hyuugas had, because whoever was stalking him masked their chakra expertly and he could not pinpoint their location. Not a real reason to assume such a thing, but Neji could just _feel_ intense eyes on him. Taking into considering that it might just be nerves (or fangirls), he went about business as usual without trying to discover the spy.

* * *

After hours of patiently watching Neji, an unsettling thought entered Shikamaru's mind.

_What if...if she could be happier with him than with me?_

It was so shocking and provoking that he had nearly dropped the jutsu masking his chakra. He knew then that it was time to leave. Shikamaru sauntered towards home, his latest query dominating the theoretical river of thoughts that was his mind. Halfway there, he spotted a distressed looking Ino with a certain pink haired female. He stopped in mid-stride, his face showing protest in his body's decision as he turned away to find another route home.

"Shikamaru!"

Too late. Ino ran up to him and lightly punched him in the arm.

"Where have you been, I've been looking all over for your lazy butt!"

With a certain resignation, Shikamaru turned his body partially to face her. Ino didn't like the expression he was wearing.

"What happened? You look like someone told you you'll never have a day off ever again."

She smiled half-heartedly at him, a little worried that he wasn't responding. She decided to give up the attempts at ice breakers and get to the point.

"Hey, Shikamaru, I kind of need to talk to you about yesterday. Could we go somewhere and talk?"

He closed his eyes presently, as if that would stop his ears from hearing. He knew what she wanted to say. He knew and he wished he didn't, not after the oppressive question his own mind had conjured hit him like a ton of bricks. Ino was frustrated, he could tell even with his eyes closed, but she pleseantly tried to hide it by tugging his arm. Shikamaru only sighed in response. He had gone through many paired scenarios in his head already and he wasn't liking the results. He was facing the biggest decision his young mind had ever had to handle, and Shikamaru all at once felt old before his time. Did he want to be selfish? Hell yes, but the saying went that if you loved something, you let it go, right? He hated being a genius, positively, absolutely hated it. He'd regret this, he was sure, but he had to right? He owed Ino this chance. Shikamaru gritted his teeth.

"It wouldn't work, Ino."

Ino looked at him, arms still firmly clasped on his. She was used to his sudden outbursts of information, knew that what he said related somehow to the current circumstances, but she immediately ruled out the possible unfavorable meanings behind his words and continued to try and decode them. Shikamaru finally opened his eyes and mustered an annoyed look. He could take it back, right now. It wasn't too late, he could see her refusing the message. He bit his tongue.

_You're doing this for her. Doing this for her. Doing this for her..._

"US, Ino. It wouldn't work."

Her mouth opened a little and she released her hold on his arm. She understood, yet couldn't understand. She didn't believe it, but he repeated himself, forced her to believe it. Ino didn't know what to say or feel. Her heart literally ached from his words as if someone had actually reached inside of her chest and closed a tight fist around it. It was getting hard to breathe. Years and years of such closeness and Ino found herself feeling like she didn't know Shikamaru at all. She'd never thought the day would come when he would or could say those words to her.

Defense mechanisms kicked in and Ino's face settled into new-found fury.

"What, am I not _good_ enough for you, Shikamaru? Not **smart** enough for you? Too **troublesome**?!"

He had expected her to cause a scene. He hadn't expected it to hurt this much.

_You're doing this for her..._

Ino's nails dug into the palms of her hands as she waited for some denial on his behalf. None came. Her face blanched in the absence of his response.

_Oh Kami, it's true_

Shikamaru was almost greatful when Ino turned and ran; the despair on her face and the welling of tears in her eyes were really doing a number on him. He had to bite his lower lip to try and divert his attention and will himself not to run after her; to say it was all some cruel joke and hold her until she calmed down. He couldn't hide the pain in his own eyes as he once again ventured home.

_You're doing this for her_

He shook his head.

_But what about me? What am I doing to me?_

* * *

"N-Nii-san?"

Neji turned away from his conversation with Lee (read: listening to Lee's monologue about Sakura) to face the person he had already vocally identified as his cousin. That was strange. He could always sense Hinata's chakra a mile away. How had she crept up on him with it masked? Why had she crept up on him with it masked? He looked directly into her pearlescent eyes. She seemed braver than usual.

Definitely an imposter.

He went along with this deception, however, to see if he could figure out what exactly this person was after.

"Yes, Hinata-sama?"

"I - uh, I thought you should know,"

The imposter played with her fingers just as Hinata often did, but seriously, did they really think he didn't know his own cousin well enough to not be fooled? How impudent.

"Nii-san cares for Ino-chan, doesn't he?"

Neji's entire body went rigid and his temperment to keep up this ruse was instantly gone. If not for reminding himself that this person was probably a Konoha shinobi, Neji would have killed the fake Hinata right then and there. Was this the person who had been observing him earlier? His eyes narrowed and he glowered at her quite powerfully.

"What do you want?"

He all but hissed it at her, and the imitator feigned increased nervousness. Really, this was starting to piss Neji off in the worst way...

"If Nii-san really likes her, h-he should go to her now."

She whispered the last part.

"She needs you."

That got his attention. Fake Hinata or not, Neji had to investigate the truth of this matter. He glared at her once more for having the gall to impersonate a Hyuuga (and so _terribly_ at that) before taking off. Lee stared at the imitator briefly before speedily catching her in a bear hug.

"My eternal love! The flames of your youth burn brightly in your good deeds!"

The Hinata henge dropped upon contact and Sakura glared at Lee.

"Lee, what was condition number one about our relationship?"

Lee released and backed off as if he had been burned. He also lowered his head in shame.

"No touching. But Sakura, my love--"

"Shut up Lee."

"--it is the springtime of our youth, and with such a delicate flower in front of me--"

"SHUT UP LEE."

"--I cannot help but be overcome by the power of my youth, and--"

Lee found himself suddenly unable to speak. Were those...lips on his lips? Sakura's lips? She pulled away before he could even be sure it happened.

"You talk too much."

Sakura sighed and looked in the direction Neji had taken off in.

_Don't say I never did anything for you, Pig. Hopefully, if he cares enough to stay by your hospital bed, he cares enough to wipe away the tears..._

* * *

**Author's note:** DIE TEMARI !!! And yay for plot twists! You all thought Ino would be the one doing the rejecting, didn't you? Now that I gotten that out of my system, I was just wondering if anyone caught the parallels I made in this story. Little coincidences like Ino and Neji having their hair down on the same day, and Shika and Neji both feeling parental pressure to marry. (Side comment about Ino's love of 'the tube': I'm a lip gloss addict, so I thought it fitting that someone who takes so much pride in their looks would be too) More than that, I need all of your opinions: should I write a smut chapter? I don't want to compromise the integrity of the story (if it has any XD ) and I don't want the entire thing to seem like it was leading up to that, 'cause it isn't. I've just kinda felt the urge to try that lately. And if I do the rating will have to be bumped up to M. Thanks to all my lovely reviewers, and uber thanks to sasina! 


	9. Pain

**Tempting Fate, Chapter 9: Pain**

The cliffs. Of all possible places in and near Konoha, Neji found Ino standing on the cliffs that lined the eastern side of Konoha's forest. Her back was to him and she seemed to be staring off into empty space. Neji intentionally placed himself close enough to be detected, however, if Ino noticed Neji's presence she gave no signs of it. Neji got the feeling that even if he were an enemy ninja and even if she had detected him that she would continue to stare obliviously and let him kill her. His jaw clenched as he watched her, uncertainty stilling his limbs and rationality kicking into overdrive. She wasn't going to jump, no, if she was going to do that she would have done so in the six hours it took him to find her. Despite that, her complete silence and catatonic state sent a chill down to his very bones. Emotions rose and battled valiantly with rationality in a viscious power struggle. In the end, the mind reigned victorious over the heart and Neji drew a breath, turned away, and headed back to the village.

* * *

"I think I've done something stupid."

Smokey clouds swirled and rose above Shikamaru's upturned face as he lay stretched out with his back supported by a headstone. Tiny beads of perspiration, made unsteady by the small directional changes in the wind, slipped noiselessly down his temples and neck. The salty rivers felt as if they were armies of ants beckoning his nails to swipe them away and claw at the irritated skin, but the shadow weilder felt nothing; nor was he even truly seeing the sky above him. One hand dutifully minded a cigarrette while the other fiddled with a small item obscured in his pocket. He took one last puff of the cigarrette before outing the butt on one calloused palm. Although he had officially quit smoking nearly two years ago, Shikamaru was certain that this _one time_ didn't count.

"I'm not even sure why. The more I think about it, the less content I am with the path I chose."

He made a sound similar to to a humorless chuckle and his voice drew softer, as if adding a side note.

"When did I become such an unsatisfied person? Che, I'm becoming like my mother."

He swallowed despite his dry palette and sepia colored eyes stared up at a vacuous blue sky. That beautiful, tormenting sky blue hue. Never before had something as simple as a color inflicted such wrath on his emotions. Shikamaru let his eyes drift closed and concentrated on the feeling of the warm sun on his face. With a small grunt to clear his throat, he countinued at his former volume.

"I don't know how to fix it; or even if I _can_ fix it. It's all a really confusing game and I might lose this time. You lied, Asuma-sensei. Women are NOT easier than shougi."

He stayed there in his reclined position for a few more minutes in silent contemplation before he stood up, bowed deeply to the grave, and left.

* * *

Chouji sat comfortably at his desk with one hand holding a book he was reading and the other hand skillfully transporting chips from a a bag to his mouth. He was just reaching the interesting part of the story when his ears detected a very light, almost imperceivable sound of something soft touching his windowsill. Chouji knew that sound very well. Only two people entered his room via the window and one of them was six feet underground. Shikamaru always used the door. Chouji put down the book and retracted his hand from the bag of chips to lay his eyes on Ino, who was crouched in his window. She watched him through hooded eyes and he could tell that something was off about her, that there was something that she was holding back.

"Can I come in?"

Chouji's forehead wrinkled. It wasn't like Ino to ask for entry, she always jumped right in.

Except for those times when she was angry at Shikamaru.

He nodded and she landed gracefully on the floor. Removing her shoes, Ino took a seat at the foot of his bed and avoided his gaze.

"Ne, Chouji, do you mind if I stay here tonight?"

Chouji's face settled into a full blown frown. He could count on one hand the number of times Ino had stayed with him overnight. The first was when her puppy ran away when she was five. In truth, one of the Inuzukas' wolves had killed it when it wandered into their yard, but that was a carefully kept secret. The second time was when the Haruno girl ended their friendship. She lamented not over the end of the friendship, but the reason for the end of the friendship. Coincidentally, Chouji found himself needing to buy new furniture the next day. The third was when Asuma-sensei died; Shikamaru had come that night too. This was a very bad sign. Worse than any other omen. When Ino was upset, she either yelled it to the heavens or cried until she ran out of tears. Never before had Chouji seen her in such a state of withdrawal.

Never.

"Sure."

He didn't have the heart to tell her just yet that he had been assigned a mission for the following morning.

* * *

Shikamaru stared intensely at the scene before him. There was nothing unusual about it, it was just a room. His room. And, save for some rare shrub in the corner Shikamaru could not recall the name of that Ino had given him last year, the room was devoid of life. Everything was were he wanted it, he had a perfect view of the window from any angle of the room. The walls and matching rug were chosen in his favorite color. The air conditioning kept the room at the that perfect late fall temperature he loved. Nothing was wrong, yet the opposite felt true as Shikamaru could feel a state of agitation building within him. Again. Everyday it was the same: come home. Eat. Enter room. Stare at room. Leave room. Sleep on couch. Everyday since...when?

Something had changed about this room. He couldn't say exactly why, but he hated everything about what used to be his second favorite place in Konoha. Rubbing his neck, his fingers somehow found themselves toying with the silver stud in his ear. A knock sounded on his front door. Curious, Shikamaru strolled throught the house and to the front door. Opening it, he found none other than the Hokage's apprentice at his doorstep. The corners of his lips turned downwards and his 'bored expression' looked even more apathetic than usual.

"How troublesome. Remind the Fifth that she promised me today off. The only way she's getting me in that office is if a Bijuu attacks."

Sakura scoffed and returned his less-than-welcoming look.

"Get over yourself. I'm looking for Ino, she missed an appoinment with Ibiki Morino to discuss her placement results. He's not exactly someone you want to upset, so I know Ino couldn't have purposely skipped it, but I can't find her anywhere."

She paused to give him a once-over.

_What the hell was that look for?_

"I thought she'd be here."

Sakura finished and stared expectantly at the tanned man before her. He seemed minutely perplexed.

"She's still missing."

Once again thinking out loud, Shikamaru pondered over what this might mean.

"Still? Tsunade-shishou just saw her yesterday, did she take off somewhere?"

He shifted his weight and held back a groan. Even if it was a business matter, what right did she have to waltz in and demand answers about Ino? None. She didn't support Ino in her everyday personal battles. She didn't even send birthday cards. It was Chouji and him who watched over her. InoShikaCho, not InoSaku. Screw her.

"Something like that."

She cut her eyes at his smartass answer. She really should give him a grand ol' Tsunade punch right to the face. He did make Ino cry, afterall. And now it sounded like she hadn't stopped running when she had seen her last. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"If you see her, tell her to report in immediately."

_Neji, you'd better find her!_

"Right."

_She knows something_

After Sakura's curt departure, Shikamaru slipped on his sandals and headed out the door.

* * *

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Neji could have sworn he saw a flicker of something gold and fluidly moving on the other end of the Hyuuga estate. One of the roofs. And he didn't have much of an imagination, now or ever, but especially not now. The news had spread in both the main and branch households about Hiashi-sama's condition and to make matters worse, Neji honestly didn't expect him to make it through the week. Which would mean he and Hinata would be claiming joint rulership very soon. In a way, it was what he always wanted. In another, Neji had no desire to deal with the Hyuuga elders -- even as the strongest memeber of the clan, it would take some time to break them and get them to leave him the hell alone. He spared a glance upwards at the twinkling stars before moving to go identify the flickering item in the distance. In the darkness of night, a true smile graced his face as he soon found himself approaching a figure with which he was well acquainted. He hid it as the bottoms of his shoes hit the rooftop.

"You're tresspassing."

Ino's chin lifted from its nestled position atop her knees and she cast a backwards glance at him.

"I have nowhere else to go."

The gentle rays of moonlight illuminated her figure, making her hair glow and her skin look positively radiant. Nevermind that her voice was completely flat and her face was as unreadable as an alien language. He stared at her for a moment before drawing closer and extending a hand.

"You could have just asked."

She eyed his hand blankly before accepting it and standing, her body movements seeming to whisper 'I don't care anymore'. He gently led her off the roof and into the nearest quarters, which were surprisingly unoccupied. He showed her to the bedroom and opened the door. Ino ventured in silently; had she been in a better mood -- or any other mood -- she would have marvelled at the woodwork. She trailed her fingers over everything she passed; Neji watched from the doorway. When she reached the windowsill, a slightly raised nail caught her rushing fingers and she swore in surprise. Instantly, Neji was by her side, already assessing the possible infection level.

"You shouldn't swear."

He frowned at the bleeding finger as if it offended him, cleaning it with the few small medical items he kept in his pouch. Ino watched him, and for the first show of emotion in a long time, pursed her lips in a bitter pout.

"Why not?"

He was wrapping the finger with a thin strip of cloth now, definitely giving it more attention than necessary.

"Because such foul words shouldn't escape such perfect lips."

Oops. Where did that come from? The thought didn't even get to form in his head before it slipped out. He tensed slightly and released her digit. He was done anyway. Ino stared at his back as he headed for the door.

"Goodnight."

"Wait, Neji!"

He paused and halfheartedly hoped she wasn't about to question him on the comment he had just made.

"Stay? Please."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Gomen for the wait! I was in Japan, for those who didn't know, and it was a little hard to get back on track when I returned. This chapter isn't as long as I'd hoped it to be, but length isn't everything, right? Just about everything is set up and ready to fall in place, and by the way, next chapter is the long awaited smut chappie! I'm excited. This chapter had more of those nostalgic snippets as well as some changes/development of conflict between some characters as part of my feeble attempt to create character depth. I know, I failed, I'll get better next time! Next chapter's title: comfort. Next update: About September 1st. Check my profile for updates! 


	10. Comfort

**Tempting Fate, Chapter 10: Comfort**

**Warning: Innocent eyes should skip to the page break. I repeat, lemon below. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

Neji lowered the hand already reaching for the door and stared at it thoughtfully. This was not a good idea. It was a very, very dangerous idea and every cell in his brain screamed at him in warning. He turned around to face Ino and was met with an intense gaze from sky blue eyes as her teeth held her bottom lip captive, and every negative answer left his mind, probably never to return. He found he could only stand there in silence, which Ino took for acquiescence and celebrated with a triumphant smile. Neji diverted his eyes to the plain wooden walls behind her. Curse her beauty, if she wasn't so damned beautiful he'd most likely not be in this situation right now. If it weren't for her angelic looks, it might be easier to quell these stupid _feelings_ he only recently noticed he had for her. Damn it all.

"You should get some rest."

He found himself a spot in the corner of the room and leaned against the walls, mentally damning Hiashi for not having the decency to put chairs in the extra rooms. Nothing but two dressers and a frickin' bed. Just great. While he pretended to stare out of the one and only window, his peripheral vision caught Ino's actions and he looked at her with a hint of startlement.

"What are you doing?"

Ino gave a look of bemusement and undid another hook on her halter top.

"I don't like things around my neck when I sleep. I can if I have to, but I think I'll be fine without it tonight -- I don't see any enemy shinobi around."

Enemy shinobi weren't exactly the problem here and Neji did his best to look away and keep composure. Ino undid the last hook and the purple top fell away into her waiting hands. She folded it and moved to place it on the dresser, unfortunately academy days had always taught shinobi to look at the first sign of movement, and Neji automatically looked in spite of himself. He breathed a little easier when he saw that she had on a little fishnet triangle top. A _very_ little triangle top, but Kami, it was better than nothing. Next, the hair tie came off and blonde strands surrounded her small frame.

He prayed she could sleep in her skirt.

Prayers answered, Ino yawned, switched the lights off, climbed onto the bed and made herself comfortable. He pretended to stare out the window again and she stared at him sideways from the pillow. Several minutes passed in heavy silence.

"You don't have to sleep standing up, you know. I don't bite."

Neji's eyebrow twitched and he glanced at her.

"I hardly think that would be appropiate."

Ino wrinkled her nose and frowned.

"It's just sleeping, there aren't any laws against it. My team's done it several times."

Neji stiffened as the memory of her leaving Shikamaru's house resurfaced. So then, they were just sleeping? Seriously? He shook his head, you just couldn't argue with that kind of logic. Ino scooted back to the wall and Neji sat on the bed with his legs stretched out and maintaining perfect posture in sitting upright. Ino rolled her eyes but only readjusted her pillow. Within minutes, she was asleep. Too bad for Neji, a sleeping Ino turned out to be even more dangerous than an undressing Ino. She snuggled close to him and he akwardly watched her, unsure of what to do. Watching was not the right thing to do. Shallow breaths passed quietly between pink, parted lips. Pink, parted lips perfect in every damn way.

They taunted him.

The cycle repeated every few minutes. He'd be calmly thinking and staring at the window until, somehow, he found himself staring again at the welcoming pink flesh and stiffly turned his face. Oh, viscious little cycle. How long had it been, one hour? Two? It was driving him crazy; Neji was starting to despise pink. His discipline was starting to wear thin. He scowled in the darkness at nothing in particular. He was making too big a deal out of this, yes. Her lips only bothered him because he refused to look at them. If he allowed himself to look, their power to draw him would go away, right? Neji shuffled until he was on his side, facing her. It was another bad decision. The desire to kiss her increased seven fold and he closed his eyes. There was no way he was going to make it through this night. Disappointed in himself, he leaned over and kissed Ino's forehead.

_Soft..._

He couldn't stop his fingers from lightly tracing her face. Ninjas weren't supposed to have skin this soft and smooth. As he guided her hair back away from her face, Ino shifted, and Neji now had to deal with this thin, shapely body being pressed way too intimately against him. His arm withdrew and he frowned. Was this some sort of test? No matter how much will power a person has, they cannot will their body not to react to such...temptation. Try as he might, Neji could not ignore the pain of arousal. And there were the lips, a good measure closer than before and just as provocative. This was just wrong. The lips were unavoidable now; **she** was unavoidable now. He wanted to hate her for it but found that impossible. Instead, he kissed her forehead again, revelling in it's softness. He kissed her cheek. And her jaw. And her neck. This was getting out of control...

He stopped to stare once more at her face, mournfully. He didn't like what this was doing to him. Nothing quenched the desire that grew stronger with every passing minute. And yet nothing could make him get up and leave either.

_Damnit_

He gave in. He kissed those torturous pink lips as if they were the most fragile thing on earth, barely touched them, and he ached worse than before. He looked at her eyes, still peacefully closed. One kiss was not enough. He kissed her again, a little longer and a little more desperately, but still surprisingly gently. He studied her face again and saw that Ino was still very much sound asleep. Neji realized the danger in what he was doing; knew that any moment now she could wake up, freak out, and do her best to kill him. He realized then that he _wanted_ her to wake up. He hesitated, then kissed her a third time, stronger, more passionately, and definitely more boldly. He didn't stop until he felt the tickle of her eyelashes and her heartbeat quicken. Pale eyes met with squinty blue ones. She blinked a few times and stared at him, silently questioning if whether or not what she thought had just happened in fact occurred. Neji too remained absolutely silent; what was he supposed to say now? He frowned yet again as he resigned himself to his decision and finally let his guard down.

"I love you."

Her sleepy eyes widened.

"Mmph? You do?"

_I love your voice. I love your smile. I think you're cute when you're embarassed. I love your bravery. I love your blunt honesty. I love the way you look to the side when you're thinking. I love everything about you..._

He placed a brief kiss on her lips.

"Yes, I do."

Her eyes closed and he wondered if she was going back to sleep. Was she even going to remember this in the morning? Without warning, her arm slipped behind his head and gently urged him closer. She hugged him without fear or shame and her eyes welled with tears, the pain of heartbreak all too fresh. She did her best to blink them gone before wiping away all traces of them behind his back and pulling back. Ino smiled and Neji wondered what was going through her mind. In any case, it couldn't have been anything bad because she didn't try to dissuade his simple words. She didn't say anything at all, and this time, she initiated the kiss. Neji was more than willing to return the kiss and when her lips gave way in permission, he deepened it by softly exploring her mouth. It was slow, yet passionate.

He was holding back.

Ino did some exploring of her own, caressing and inviting, and when she ran her fingers through his hair, he caved like a poorly assembled tent. Neji kissed her hungrily and so sensually that Ino forgot Shikamaru's name. She pressed closer to him and he moaned into the kiss, his arm settling comfortably on the curve of her hip. He broke the kiss and Ino made a sound in protest, but he lent his attention to her neck. His kisses were hot and unpredictable and Ino took in a sharp breath when he unexpectedly bit her. He smiled and returned to her lips. His hand moved upward, and feeling her bare back, the pain of arousal intensified. They rolled over, entertwined, and Neji stopped to stare at her. Even without using her bloodline limit, Ino could almost hear his thoughts.

_Are you sure?_

He held nothing back and allowed her to see the worry on his face. Ino caressed his cheek reassuringly, and they caught kisses between his removing his shirt. The sensation of skin on skin elicited a shudder from both of them and his hands roamed her sides. She arched into his touch and Neji mentally swore he'd die if they stopped now. She was beautiful beyond comparison, smart, and one of the most intriguing people he'd ever met. There would never be another like her. He left her mouth again to rain kisses on her neck, the valley between her breasts, and her abdomen. Reaching her navel, he bit her again and she jumped. He made his way back up to her breasts, kissing what was available just beyond the boundaries of her top and pulling loose the tie under her back. Reaching slightly higher he pulled loose the top bow as well and brushed away the garment. Ino blushed deeply as he openly stared at her chest before taking one breast in his mouth.

Ino wanted to scream. She settled for panting instead. Good Kami, where did he learn _that_? His kisses made her forget Shikamaru's name, but this made her forget _her own name._ She desperately grabbed what she could of the mattress, determined not to let too many mewls escape her, and was almost relieved when he pulled back. She watched with glazed eyes as his hands moved up her thighs and came back down with her underwear. He tossed them to the side and she sat up, still struggling to catch her breath. He looked at her curiously, worry slowly creeping back into his features until her hands began undoing his pants. He relaxed again and when the waistband of his pants fell to his knees, Ino leaned back and Neji followed. They kissed again and Ino's arms wrapped around his neck as he adjusted. Neji sneaked a hand in between them and gave her breast a tight squeeze. She arched and he entered.

The sensation overpowered the both of them and they unwillingly stopped, still as trees, to allow the wave of pleasure to lessen. Neji closed his eyes and breathed heavily. He could feel her clenching, an automatic response to such sudden entry, and the tightness was inflicting on him a level of pain he'd nearly forgotten existed. In the midst of all the body heat they were producing, he felt almost light-headed and a little cold. Ino was hyper-aware of every inch of her body. She felt her swollen nipples ever so slightly rubbing against his chest as they breathed. She felt one of his hands lightly quaking near her hip. She felt thin strands of his hair that escaped his ponytail tickling her collarbone. Ino felt his warm, shakey breaths on her neck as he pressed his forehead into the pillow and tried to relax himself. Most of all, she felt _him_ filling her and so hard that she could feel his heartbeat from down there. She was vaguely aware of the trickle of blood that was certainly staining the area beneath them. She was also aware of a building sense of constriction in her chest. She felt her fingertips chill and instantly realized that she was holding her breath and needed to breathe. Ino inhaled sharply and made an effort thereafter to steady her breath. Above her, Neji lifted his head and looked her square in the eyes with an emotion she couldn't identify, somewhere between surprise, endearment, and guilt. No words were spoken but a secret was shared between them. She kissed him lighlty on the lips and he took the hint that it was okay to move.

His withdraw was painstakingly slow and deliberately careful. The next thrust caused a hiss to leave Ino's lips, the pain seemingly more intense than it was the first time and making her feel a faint wave of dizziness approaching. By the third thrust she was able to feel pleasure blending with the pain. By the fourth thrust she could breathe again -- raggedly, but regularly. They were kissing by the time he entered again, his motions gradually increasing in speed and the pain subsiding little by little. Gasps sounded between fervent kisses and Ino could no longer register the tickling of his hair or even the small sqeaks of the mattress springs. She could think of nothing and was solely fixated on this man -- this amazing, unpredictable man. This man whose determination was unrivaled, save for a certain blonde, a certain Green Beast, and a certain traitor. This man who'd endured the deepest of sorrow and the purest of hate.

This man who'd said he loves her.

Her short, uneven nails dug into his skin somewhere along his upper back as the rest of her arms slid repeatedly from the layer of sweat coating both of their bodies. Neither of them could consentrate long enough to kiss each other anymore, a tension building in them intense enough that it was all they could manage just to breathe. And to move. To never, ever stop moving.

* * *

The birds sung their playful morning melody and Neji lay there, staring at and stroking the hair of the sleeping girl nestled close to him. Far from well rested, he was neither ready nor willing to leave the bed just yet. For the fifth time since the sun rose, his other arm tightened around her and he drew her closer for a loving embrace. If they could stay this way forever, it would not be a wasted life. He slackened his hold and relaxed again, studying the features of her face as if he had not already committed every contour to memory. Waking up next to her was by far one of the best feelings he had ever experienced, comparable even to the actions that led to it. If there was a deity in the heavens above, surely they were smiling down at him. He pulled the sheets closer around them and settled in, his eyelids slowing and eventually stilling all together. He was comfortably drifting off when his chakra prickled all of the sudden and his eyes flew wide open. Someone was approaching the door. He glared at it, sensing the figure standing just beyond it, and for a second he pondered how quickly and quietly he could kill them and get back into bed. Detesting his own maturity, he reconsidered and eased off the bed. Throwing on the shirt from the previous day (and wearing pants) he stepped noiselessly and opened the door. He was none too kind to the tall female before him.

"What is it, Nanami?"

He needn't ask how she had found him in this spare room that was far from his own; they were all Hyuugas after all. She looked at him evenly, accustomed to seeing him as ill tempered as he was in his younger days.

"Hinata-sama calls for you. It has been discovered that Hiashi-sama passed sometime within the night."

Neji cringed. This was much sooner than he had expected. The rest of the day would surely be spent in a room full of the elders and a crying Hinata. Not with Ino.

"Understood. Tell Hinata-sama I am on my way."

The female bowed in response and hurried off. Neji sighed and walked away from the ajar door. Planting a kiss on her forehead, Neji murmured something to the knocked-out blonde before turning and closing the door quietly behind him as he left.

* * *

Ino awoke in the late morning to an empty bed and unabating soreness. She whimpered for the latter, but did not seem to be distressed about her state of solitude. She stretched and threw back the covers, drowsily swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and something small slipped onto the floor. Looking down after it, Ino discovered it was her top and grabbed it to clothe her bare chest.

_He loves me_

Her eyes grew whistful for a fleeting moment, until she remembered that her underwear was lying around somewhere too. She hunted for it and found it tangled in the sheets along the foot of the bed. Retrieving her last article of clothing -- her halter top -- from the dresser, Ino was fully dressed and stealthily left the room. Once she made it completely out of the Hyuuga compound, she slowed to a normal walking pace and mingled with the Konoha citizens nonchalantly going about their daily activities. When she was a safe distance away to avoid suspicion, she stopped at a roadside vendor and got something to drink, thoughtfully eyeing the property she'd just left all the while.

_I'll come back later maybe, he's probably off training somewhere_

A hand on her shoulder snatched her out of her reverie and Ino was quick to turn around to identify it's owner. Orange hair and pudgy cheeks.

"Uh, mornin' Ino. You...want to go train or something? We could go to our usual spot, it'll be just like old times."

She caught the words he almost said: 'You okay?'. His smile was a bit too forced and she noticed he wasn't eating anything. He was worried about her, and this suggestion to train was probably just so that he could keep an eye on her. Nevertheless, Ino agreed, and they sauntered off to Team 10's official training area. One hour into the session, Ino spotted Shikamaru quietly arriving from the north. A look passed between him and Chouji and Ino did not miss it. Ino and Chouji's match instantly ends there as the three of them stood there uncomfortably.

It was nothing like old times.

"You're late, Shikamaru!"

She smiled and gave him a playful punch to the arm as he stood there, half surprised and half very uncomfortable.

_She's pretending like nothing happened. _

"Listen, about the day before yesterday--"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Come on, I want to practice my bloodline limit."

He frowned at her, then looked to Chouji, who held up a hand.

"Uh, you know what? I'm starving, had a meager breakfast today and I'm still hungry. Catch you guys later."

He was already walking away. If Shikamaru was the number one coward, Chouji was number two. It was just as well. Ino persisted about practicing and Shikamaru relented, finding a tree for them to rest under. With a few speedily executed hand signs, Ino went limp in his arms and he watched her body for her as usual. When she revived, Ino noticed she was cozily encircled by both arms. She shifted to straighten herself from a slouched position and the circle grew smaller. She turned her neck to look up at him quizzically.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ino. I didn't mean what I said back then, none of it. The truth is you're all I think about. When you're not around, I'm uneasy and when you are, I'm calm. Being with you and thinking about you are all that bring me peace. When I'm planning my moves, when I'm hiding like a coward, when I create new jutsus it's for you. Always so that I can come back to you. Ino, you mean more to me than anything. I love you; I've always loved you."

She stared at him.

"Give me another chance."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I think most people figured it out, but this story is post-Asuma (and AU after that chapter) hence, set during Shippuden. Neji is 16 and Ino is 15. It's currently 1:05 am, sleepy, may edit later, you know the deal. This chapter was kinda predictable, but hey, most endings are, right? I hope I did at least a halfway decent job, because I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Chevira Lowe and amwong88 -- two of the most badass writers here on Never stop writing. Ever. :D And of course to you, my readers and reviewers, I probably wouldn't have made it to ten chapters or developed so much stylistically if I didn't know you guys were out there reading and occasionally shouting at the computer. Thank you all. The next chapter will be the last one and I may or may not write an epilogue, either at the end of chapter 11 or post it as chapter 12. Until then, have faith in Ino you guys! I don't put your run-of-the-mill teenage girls as heroines in my stories, so don't worry too much about her decision. School is started, so I really don't know when I can have the next chapter finished and up, but I'll try really hard to have it on here before September goes bye bye, mmkay? 


	11. Clarity

**Tempting Fate, Chapter 11: Clarity**

The silence was nearly deafening in the room crowded with the important members of the main household. One of them had just announced Hiashi's dying wishes for those who didn't know yet, and now everyone was quietly internally debating. The sea of white eyes set on him did not phase Neji.

"It is how Hiashi-sama said, the talents of the Hyuuga clan flow stronger in Neji than anyone else. However, need I remind you that this does not remove his branch status? His duty is to protect, not to make decisions for the entire clan. This idea of giving him leadership...it's preposterous!"

The old woman's voice shook with anger and she stood from her seat to make her point. Neji stared coldly, beside him, Hinata was deathly silent, and another Hyuuga challenged her opinion.

"Well, Hanako-sama, would it lessen your displeasure if Neji married Hinata to earn the title?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she tried to speak up.

"B-but, we don't--"

Hanako bristled and pointed an accusing finger at Neji.

"Marry Hinata! This...this mutt marrying into the main household?! I will not hear of it! "

The old man attempted to speak again but Hanako cut him off.

"He will bring disgrace to this clan! Not two hours ago, Nanami caught him with a tramp in his room! He's impure, he'll taint the Hyuuga blood!"

There was no hushed whispering in the room, as Hyuugas, they were above that. They were not, however, above stern, disapproving stares. Hinata made a small sound and Hanako released a startled gasp, strong hands around her throat allowing her to do little else.

"If you say another word, I'll kill you here and now."

Neji glared at her with vehemence and sincerity behind his words. He had cleared the length of the room before most could even twitch.

"Nii-san..."

Hinata's quivering voice reached his ears and his grip lessened. He continued to glare daggers at the woman a moment longer, just to get his point across, before he returned to his seat. He mentally dared her to open her mouth again and she shivered, unable to completely calm herself. Another one of the elders spoke.

"Perhaps we should take a short break."

Neji could almost hear the collective sigh of relief around the room; they were scared of him. Good.

"We will reconvene in fifteen minutes."

Neji didn't wait for the wave of the elder's hand that would signify the official dismiassal, he stood up and made his way towards the door -- pulling Hinata by the wrist along with him. Once they were outside, he briskly shut the door behind them. Her pale eyes looked up at him, expressing both curiousity and surprise. Neji noted that they were absent of fear. Little by little, she was begining to trust him again. Maybe there was hope for the return of their early childhood friendship afterall.

"Stay out here until it's time to go back. I don't want you talking to them alone."

_I don't want them putting ideas in your head behind my back_.

She nodded in compliance and Neji looked around for somewhere to go, something to take his mind off this burden no matter how little time he was alotted.

"Anou..."

His eyes focused back on Hinata and he was mildly surprised to find her looking directly at him. How many thousands of times had she avoided his gaze? How many times had she actually attempted to start a conversation with him? It was interesting.

"Nii-san, do you want to go for a walk?"

_I see._

"Hn."

Hinata was finding her braveness, and this was her own way of trying to mend their uncertain relationship. Deep down, he felt a twinge of pride. He'd have to work on her blatant displays of emotion, but this was enough for now. They walked in comfortable silence, destination unknown, neither of them caring where their feet would lead them.

* * *

_...wait, WHAT?!_

Ino's mouth was suddenly quite parched and her throat felt significantlly narrower than it was just seconds before. She stared -- more accurately, gaped -- at Shikamaru in utter confusion. It didn't make any sense. One day he was showing undeniable interest, the next he's rejecting her, and the next he's taking back the rejection! The situation was so complicated, so absolutely un-Shikamaru-like that Ino could have laughed...if it didn't hurt so much. She fell in love with the simplest man in Konoha and he'd managed to confuse her. Go figure.

"Uh..."

Well, that wasn't the most intelligent thing to say to a genius, but what does a person say to something like that? After he tore her heart to pieces? After last night with Neji? So many times she'd been the go-to girl for other people's relationship problems, now she found her mind completely devoid of anything even resembling a solution. Behind her (around her?), Shikamaru waited patiently for an answer and she could feel her face growing hot.

_I should've jumped off the cliff when I had the chance..._

She took a deep breath. Maybe she could buy herself some time to think. Yes...

"Shika? Can I ask you something first?"

"Hmm."

"Why did you say what you did if you didn't mean it?"

She felt the rush of air on the back of her neck. He knew this question would come sooner or later.

"Ino, I --"

He stopped mid-speech and Ino turned her head as they both reguarded the puff of smoke just a few feet in front of them. As it cleared, Ino indentified the man standing before them as the decidedly intimidating Ibiki Morino. Hands in his trench coat pockets, he nodded in greeting.

"Yamanaka, I'd been waiting to have a talk with you again, but it became **necessary** to come find you."

Ino winced as he sharply emphasized the word 'necessary'. She had forgotten all about him and the test and the Interrogation Unit. He was probably going to lecture her now on missing appointments, shinobi repsonsibilities, and generally make her feel like a guilty pile of crap.

"Your scores are the highest we've seen in years."

_Huh?_

"What?"

Shikamaru's voice echoed Ino's thoughts and she felt his body go rigid. Oh yeah, she had forgotten to tell him all about the meeting in the Hokage's office, hadn't she? At the time, it kind of took a backseat to the drama she was dealing with. Ibiki continued.

"We've been itching to get a Yamanaka in our unit for years, Inoichi turned us down, and kid you've got the potential to surpass your father."

For the second time that day, Ino gaped.

"I passed?"

Ibiki was nice enough not to comment on her apparent temporary stupidity.

"Put it this way: if you accept, you'll be considered a Special Jounin from now on."

"Jounin?"

Ibiki frowned at Shikamaru repeating his words. Wasn't this kid supposed to be a genius?

"Well there's no such thing as a Special Chuunin, now is there?"

Hints of a glare swept Shikamaru's face, but he quickly erased it. Morino was one shinobi you didn't want to fuck with. The interrogation chief put his attention on Ino.

"What do you say?"

_Jounin. I'll be a Special Jounin! Ha! All those times busting my ass and going the extra mile on missions, I could've just taken the damn test and become a Special Jounin? Why the hell didn't anyone tell me!_

"I say you just got yourself a Special Jounin!"

"Glad to hear it. Go up to the records building and tell 'em so they can update your file. I'll see you tomorrow at 0500 hours."

He excused himself in a cloud of smoke before Ino could make another comment. This time, Shikamaru gaped.

"Ino, tell me you didn't--"

She squealed in excitement, barely able to contain herself from rolling around in the grass screaming.

"I did it! I did it! Shika, I DID IT!"

He couldn't help but look dismayed. She turned around and threw herself at him in a hug that knocked them both over. She was so esctatic, it was hard to be angry with her.

"Troublesome."

She pulled up to look at him, smiling broadly.

"We'll talk about it later, okay Shika? Don't look so worried!"

And she was on her feet, dashing off to the records building before he could remind her that they hadn't finished thier conversation.

* * *

Passing a small teahouse, Neji could have sworn he saw a blonde blur somewhere to his left. When Hinata looked after it too, he was sure of it. But all he had seen was blonde hair, without the Byakugan activated, he couldn't determine the length of the hair, nor could he make out the face. Was it Ino or was it Naruto? By the look on Hinata's face, she couldn't tell either. He veered from their path and drifted away from the steady stream of people; Hinata followed. It was hard to tell where she had come from going on just a vague direction, but he ventured on farther from the crowd. Tweleve feet out, he saw someone approaching, the sun behind the person masking their face in darkness. Neji came to a hault and Hinata did the same. He waited. The hairstyle gave away the indentity even before he could see the face. It was Shikamaru Nara, who met the pair with a curious tilt of the head. 

"Looking for someone?"

"Yes, I am."

Hinata could almost feel the ice dripping. It was a stand off of sorts, and she cast uneasy glances between the two. Hinata didn't know what issue had come between these two people she rarely saw associate, but if the tense way Neji was standing was any indication, it was no small matter. She tugged lightly on his sleeve and he drew his eyes from the lazy ninja in front of him to send her a controlled glance. Hinata knew that look very well, it meant "Leave. Now." and she quietly sauntered away to offer them some privacy. Now that they were alone, Shikamaru faked a yawn.

"Well, she's not here."

"Who said I came to see **her**?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and shifted his weight to the other foot. This wasn't going to be as quick and simple as he'd hoped it would be.

"Who else would you be coming to see, unless you like me now."

Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Did you even see what you did to her?"

Shikamaru frowned. He hadn't. Aside from knowing she had run off somewhere when he refused her feelings, he didn't know what happened between that time and now. Shikamaru's eyes darkened.

"That's not your business."

"It is my business, because she's mine."

Both glares intensified.

"And what makes you think that?"

His words were a harsh whisper, slow and clear in their delivery. A wrong answer here and a fight every bit as apocalyptic as those between Naruto and Sasuke would occur.

"..."

Neji did not answer, raised too properly to say such a thing out loud. Too mindful of how hurt Ino would be if he shared that information. Shikamaru wasn't sure if he should be annoyed that Neji didn't answer him, or smug that he couldn't...until he saw it. It wasn't obvious at first, but during his staredown of this pale-eyed shinobi, he noticed it. Against the stark black of Neji's right pantleg were two long, blonde hair strands clinging to the cotton. His mouth opened, but the silence remained.

_'What if she could be happier with him than me?'..."Am I not good enough for you, Shikamaru?"...'You're doing this for her'..."She's still missing"..."Shika, can I ask you something first?"_

The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. Her disappearence, her reaction to him, Neji's confrontation...

_I've driven her away..._

He sucked in a breath of air, trying not to noticably do so. He rubbed at his forhead in a mixture of emotions.

"Nii-san."

He looked from under his palm and Neji also diverted his attention to Hinata, who crept up beside Neji.

"It's time to go back."

* * *

The slender blonde kunoichi strode towards the table, a bounce in her step and a twinkle in her eye. 

"Yamanaka Ino, promoted to Special Jounin."

The middle aged woman behind the table looked up at her dully.

"Referring Jounin?"

"Ibiki Morino."

Ino heard a burst of giggles somewhere behind her.

"Yeah, right! Good one, pig."

The pinkette held in her hands a stack of papers tall enough that Ino feared something would get broken if it were to fall on her. The receptionist Sakura approached meekly whined about Tsunade's procrastination. With a hand on her hip, Ino gave her a mock frown.

"It would be a good joke, wouldn't it? Except for that it's true, **forehead**."

Sakura continued laughing, her face slowly begining to match her hair. Ino thought it sounded like a cat choking.

"Riiiight, when **Ino-pigs** fly! You keep on dreaming."

She set the stack of papers down on another bookkeeper's desk and crossed her newly emptied hands across her chest. She was opening her mouth to say something when the matronly woman in front of Ino spoke.

"Ah, here it is. Morino put in your referral earlier today."

Both Ino and Sakura looked at the woman. Sakura with mild disgust and Ino with confusion.

"But...but I just accepted the position five minutes ago."

The woman huffed and looked up at her.

"He's the chief of the Interrogation Department. If he wanted you, he was going to get you whether by fair means or by foul."

_In other words, he was going to talk me into it had I declined, probably using every mind trick he's got._

"So, forehead, looks like I'm wide awake after all."

She beamed at her ex-best friend showing trademark confidence. Her rival looked positively repulsed.

"This is a nightmare."

* * *

The door opened abruptly and Hinata entered the room, Neji close behind. They took their seats and the elders acknowledged their arrival with a discreet nod of the head. One of the Hyuugas cleared their throat; a subtle cue for them to begin. One of the younger elders stood to address the room. 

"During the intermission, we have discussed this...predicament heatedly amongst ourselves. Many of us have our own views and arguments, but we all share in the common wish for the Hyuuga clan to prosper under a capable leader."

He paused here, checking the expressions of the two individuals whose lives would be most affected by this decision.

"We find this idea of joint rulership absurd at best and feel it would be confusing to the clan, that it would bring disharmony among us. We breathe easier with one clear family head; stand stronger with trust in one person. Though it has wrought us much anxiety in agreement, we, the elders, would like Hinata-sama to lead the clan."

Neji's lips pressed into a fine line. He knew what they were doing: they weren't _choosing_ Hinata, they were rejecting him as leader. The room waited for a reaction from him. After a moment of absolute silence, it was not Neji who reacted, but the softspoken female beside him. She stood and slammed her hands on the low table, her face aglow with rosy color.

"No!"

All eyes were on her in shock of such an outburst. The elder who announced the decision gestured for her to sit.

"Hinata-sama, we--"

"No!"

A resolve showed in hers eyes never witnessed by the elders before, at least not from her.

"You will not deny Nii-san this right! He has earned it!"

The announcer's face soured and he started again, his voice more stern than before.

"Hinata-sama, this is--"

"I will not! I refuse to do it! I-I refuse to be the face of the clan while you pull the strings!"

Her normally pale skin was now a vibrant red and her hands wavered ever so slightly. She shook her head.

"It's either the both of us, or no one!"

The elders were taken aback and Neji stared at his cousin, almost as shocked as they were. She really had found her courage. The room went quiet yet again and Neji slowly stood beside Hinata. He tried not to smirk...and failed.

"Well then, it's decided."

* * *

Shikamaru navigated the afternoon street crowd at his normal pace, eyes trained directly in front of him and expression the same as usual. His peripheral vision caught sight of rusty orange hair, and his feet skillfully cut through to take a seat. He was sweating, his head hurt and he was inexplicably feeling the onset of fatigue; the bench was like a godsend. His plumps friend mumbled a hello between bites and Shikamaru, lazily slumbing his upper body over his half of the table, answered with an unintelligable grunt. His forehead felt burning hot against the skin of his forearm and his other hand wiped at tiny rivers threatening to cascade along the nape of his neck. 

"How'd it go?"

The chubby shinobi cheerfully tossed a handful of fries into his mouth. Across the table, Shikamaru conjured a mirthless smile hidden by his arm.

"I've lost her."

* * *

**Epilogue**

--One month later--

Neji and Ino walked along the village streets and many villagers stopped to openly stare at the couple. They were an unusual pair and, while word had gotten around about their relatonship, even after an entire month had passed people still could not believe it. Neji cooly ignored the trance-like effect they appeared to have on everyone, but Ino basked in it and walked even closer to him. Neji was relieved not to see Ino's pink haired friend anywhere; her presence would only make Ino spitefully cling to his arm as they walked. Not that he'd mind. Beside him, Ino grinned as light-heartedly as if she'd never drawn blood from anyone.

_Do you see me, Asuma-sensei? Forhead? I told you I wouldn't lose. I'll never give in, not as long as this heart beats and this body moves. I'll take care of them, all __**three**__ of my boys, and I'll never settle for second best. Watch us, sensei, everyone, for we will walk among Konoha's finest and neither Kage nor Bijuu nor missing-nin will break this barrier of shinobi. The will of fire shall never extinguish._

They reached the training grounds, their destination, and Ino merrily ran up to her teammates. Remembering something, Neji called after her.

"Does he **have **to hold you during Shintenshin no Jutsu?"

Ino smiled broadly from her spot in front of Shikamaru.

"Neji! It's our thing, Shika's and mine. A Team 10 tradition!"

Shikamaru smirked at Neji without malice.

"Oi, Ino, you haven't said your line yet."

Ino giggled as she readied her hands for her jutsu.

"Watch over my body, Shikamaru!"

Neji gave Shikamaru a fierce gaze.

_I hate tradition_

* * *

Owari

* * *

**Author's note: **This is un-beta'd, as usual, so if you guys really think it's crappy, I'll revise it but for now this is how it ends. I love you guys T.T I'm so sad to end this now, I guess 20-something thousand words really isn't a long fic, but I feel like I've come to the end of a journey, with all the planning and rewriting, reading the reviews and whatnot :D You guys were a great group of readers, I'll miss you! Maybe someday I'll write another NejiIno, I think this fanbase is neglected and needs more stories. Until then, my pretties, I'll see you around! (cries because she hates goodbyes) Oh, and I forgot to give a shout-out to Silvershine last chapter -- you guys know she rocks! 


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